


Right in Front of You

by lovesnarf (snarfette)



Category: The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergent, Jealousy, M/M, Obsession, Period Typical Homophobia, These things are not between Brian and Dom, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 65,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24793834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/lovesnarf
Summary: It seems that Dom isn’t the only one that draws people in, but Brian’s bright smiles and friendly nature attract someone’s attention that he, and Dom, may struggle to deal with.
Relationships: Brian O'Conner/Dominic Toretto
Comments: 203
Kudos: 382





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> After a recent binge of the movies up to number 7, I couldn’t resist writing a fic for these two, so this is my first ever Fast and Furious fic. Please be kind!

Dom pressed a kiss against Brian’s shoulder and rolled away to climb out of their bed.

There was a soft groan from behind him. “Where you goin’?” Brian asked, his voice rough from sleep. 

Dom paused and leaned back on his elbow, hovering close to Brian. 

“Getting up,” he replied simply.

Brian groaned again. “Why?” he muttered, almost sounding petulant at the very idea.

Dom couldn’t help it: he shuffled a little closer across the bed again, pressing his chest against Brian’s back where he still hadn’t moved from his seemingly half-awake state. The feel of warm, smooth skin was almost enough to make Dom change his mind and just stay put. 

“In case you forgot, I have a garage to run,” he said, his voice low as he looked down at Brian.

Brian huffed out a long breath. “‘s too early, man.”

Dom ran his hand along Brian’s side and curled it around his hip bone. That seemed to bring Brian more into the land of the living as he rolled into his back and blinked up at Dom, a smile pulling at his mouth. 

“We’ve got work to do,” Dom muttered. He slowly dragged his eyes over Brian, from his face to his thighs where Brian had let them fall open as Dom’s hand still rested just above the waistband of his underwear. 

And Dom was so tempted to say “fuck it” and stay exactly where he was. But he really did need to get to the garage to open up and teasing Brian really was quite a turn-on seeing as he knew how wound up he’d be later on. It would make the anticipation so much sweeter. 

He leant forward and pressed his lips against Brian’s temple. 

“Pretty sure you promised old Ms Delaney you’d look at her Chrysler today too,” Dom reminded him, muttering it against his ear and enjoying the way Brian shuddered but then groaned once more. 

“Ugh, you’re such a dick,” Brian told him as he pushed him away.

Dom grinned to himself and then rolled away once and for all, pushing himself up and out of bed and knowing that Brian would be watching him as he stretched. 

“Well, you will endear all the little old ladies in the neighbourhood,” he said over his shoulder. 

Brian was still lying in bed with his arm across his eyes like he was truly suffering. It really was a tempting sight, but Dom shook the thoughts off and wandered to the bathroom. 

Brian couldn’t argue with what Dom had said anyway: it was true. Brian seemed to win over everyone with his bright smile and easy-going nature. He’d slotted in like he’d always been there and the locals seemed to love him. Maybe it was because he was always going out of his way for someone. Ms Delaney wasn’t the first little old lady that Brian had offered to help and she no doubt wouldn’t be the last. 

On his way home after his shift, Brian had spotted her standing beside her car, staring at it and frowning and Brian had seemingly been driven to stop and ask her if she was alright. Maybe it was the sight of a police officer, or just Brian’s natural charm, but instead of telling him to mind his own business, the old lady had told him all about her recent troubles with the car and how she didn’t trust that garage a few blocks away because they always seemed to over-charge but she didn’t know where else to take it, and Brian - god love him, Dom thought to himself - had offered to take a look if she brought it into DT’s on Friday. So he had no-one else to blame for having to work on his day off - no-one but himself and his inability to ignore someone who needed help. 

Dom knew that Mia described him as being like gravity. He didn’t know whether he agreed with the comparison or not, but he knew that when people came to him, if they showed their loyalty, Dom would claim them as his own: part of his family. It wasn’t something that happened as a conscious decision: it wasn’t that one day you were on the edge and the next you were given a ticket to join. It was just the way it was. 

That’s how Brian had ended up with them. Admittedly, his route to becoming part of the family hadn’t exactly been smooth and, at one point, Dom had been convinced that he’d never see Brian again, and if he did he might just kill him. Strangely, it had been that thought that had motivated him to get off his ass and seek him out, almost a year after Brian had handed him a set of keys and watched him drive away. He hadn’t been able to let it go - let Brian go. He’d needed something more. And when he’d seen him again, all ideas of knocking him out or killing him had disappeared pretty quickly.

Because if Dom was gravity, Brian was surely his own force of nature. He was a magnet drawing Dom closer. And they were so alike in so many ways but also so different. The perfect combination, perfectly drawn together, even when they pushed at one another and it looked like it shouldn’t work. 

Maybe it wasn’t anything as complicated as that. Maybe it was just Brian. Maybe it was his infectious energy and his beaming grin and his desire to do what was right that drew people in. 

Despite everything - despite all of the shit that had gone down with truck hijackings and the Trans and Brian being a cop and Dom going on the run - Dom had still found himself wanting Brian. It might have started as wanting to know what the hell he’d been playing at. It might have been aneed for closure of some sort. It might have just been a desire to punch Brian in the face. That had been what he’d thought anyway. In reality, the itch under his skin - the want - had actually been much more than all of that. And thank god, Brian had been feeling the same. 

They’d had a lot to work through. They’d had a lot of shit to deal with and conversations to have that were painful in more ways than one. But it had somehow seemed worth it.

When Dom wandered back through to their bedroom, he paused for a moment to just look at Brian. He was asleep again, turned over onto his stomach again, face smushed against his pillow but angled towards the door now, his blond curls a little tangled and flattened against his head at the back, the sheet pulled up just over his waist, one leg slightly drawn up so that the curve of his ass was perfectly on show and, if he hadn’t been fast asleep, breathing deeply through slightly parted lips, Dom might have thought he’d done it on purpose to lure him back to bed. 

He huffed out a breath through his nose. He’d let Brian sleep for a little while longer - he deserved a break. And Dom didn’t exactly mind the peace in the house before Brian got up and brought his boundless energy downstairs or he went to the garage and it was full-on noise and activity all day.

But he wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. He knew how lucky he was to have any of this in his life after what had gone down. What he had was definitely worth it. 

***

Brian had woken up to a quiet, empty house. Dom, despite his half-hearted attempt to get him motivated, had obviously left him asleep and headed out to the garage on his own, knowing that Brian would come down when he was ready. 

It didn’t surprise Brian. He’d had an unusually busy couple of shifts at work and had rolled in later than planned a few times this week, feeling pretty wiped. And Dom knew that he was tired. He wasn’t the sort to make grand romantic gestures or fuss too obviously or talk about how he felt, but Brian knew by the simple things he did: the way he cared without being a mother-hen; the way he’d cook one of Brian’s favourite meals and have it all but ready to go when he walked through the door; the way he’d left him in bed to catch up on some sleep that morning because he knew that Brian was pretty exhausted, but also had a bad habit of not knowing when to stop.

When he’d eventually got moving, he’d made his way down to the garage to fulfil his promise to Ms Delaney. She was one of those characters that everyone seemed to know, or at least know of, and when Brian had seen her clearly struggling, he’d offered to help. 

It was his day off, and no-one would have blamed him for spending the day catching up with himself at home, but it also wouldn’t be the first of his days off that he’d spent hanging around at Dom’s garage. 

It took Brian a couple of hours to change the oil in the Chrysler and then remove and change the oil filter. It was no surprise the engine was running hot and emitting steam when Ms Delaney drove any further than a few blocks. Idling in city traffic didn’t do the car any favours and the oil hadn’t been changed in far too long. Brian didn’t know his way around an engine quite as well as Dom, and he might not have changed the oil as fast as Leon could have, but he knew enough and he found he always enjoyed the work, even when they weren’t exactly ten-second cars. 

He had called her as soon as the job was done and she’d asked one of her friends to bring her down to pick up the car. 

When she arrived, Brian told her how much she owed for the job and she raised an eyebrow at him - surprised by how low it was.

“Just the parts,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t want anything for the labour.”

Ms Delaney beamed up at him. She reached up and patted him gently on the cheek. Brian found himself stooping a little to allow her to achieve her goal. 

“You’re a good boy,” she said and Brian didn’t dare look up at anyone in the garage who might be watching. He’d never live this down. 

Ms Delaney paid her bill, slipping the cash straight into Brian’s hand, and then tottered off to climb into the car that Brian had left ready and waiting for her. 

He almost wanted to laugh at the sight of the tiny old woman sitting behind the wheel of such an enormous car. It really was a glorified shopping cart - she’d probably owned it from new in the eighties - but it was clearly her lifeline and she’d have been lost without it. She’d said as much as she’d smiled fondly at Brian like he was one of her grandchildren. 

He waved her off as she drove away from the garage and then turned to go and get cleaned up inside. 

“Bet you a hundred bucks there’s one of grandma’s pies getting delivered here for the buster tomorrow,” Vince remarked to Leon as soon as Brian was inside the garage. 

They’d obviously witnessed the whole encounter but Brian couldn’t bring himself to care all that much. They’d wind him up about it for a day or too, but that was nothing new. There was always some level of trash-talking going on between them, but at least these days it didn’t end in a scrap on the forecourt. Brian merely flipped him off with a grin as he made his way around them. 

After he’d washed his hands and face seeing as he knew he’d smeared oil on his forehead when he’d wiped his sweaty brow, he made his way back out into the garage only to find Dom standing in the doorway to the back office. He had his arms folded across his chest and he was watching Brian closely: it was like he’d been waiting for him. 

“So, you’re a good boy, are you, O’Conner?” he asked, his voice rumbling as his eyes roamed over Brian from head to toe. 

He hadn’t even realised that Dom had overheard his interaction outside. But he shouldn’t have been all that surprised: for someone of his stature, Dom was remarkably good at sneaking around and hovering silently, observing. And he seemed to be keenly aware of everything going on around him and the people in his orbit. He was most definitely aware of Brian. 

“So I’ve been told,” Brian replied with a casual shrug, like he didn’t know exactly where this conversation was heading. There was a look on Dom’s face that was impossible to misinterpret. “What do you think?” he asked. 

Dom stepped out of the doorway into the garage and closed the distance between them. 

“Don’t think it’s the description I’d use.” He lifted his hand and touched Brian’s jaw, his thumb reaching up to run across Brian’s lips. “I know what this mouth is capable of.”

Brian grinned at him, then parted his lips to allow Dom’s thumb to press a little further inside before his teeth nipped at him slightly, smile still on his face. As Dom’s eyes darkened, it became less of a grin on Brian’s face and more of a knowing smile: he knew what Dom was thinking; he knew exactly what he was doing. 

Dom’s hand fell from his face and both hands gripped his waist suddenly, tugging him closer before he moved close and pressed his lips against Brian’s. A soft groan rumbled from somewhere deep inside as he licked into Brian’s mouth. Brian’s hands reached up: one clutching at Dom’s hip, pulling him in; the other cupping the side of his face, his long fingers smoothing over the soft skin behind Don’s ear. 

There was another groan and Brian wasn’t sure if it had come from him or Dom, or maybe both of them. He’d never get tired of this feeling - he never wanted to. At one stage, kissing Dom would have only ever been a fantasy - a closely guarded secret that he’d never believed would become reality - but now he had it. He didn’t think he’d ever get over the surprise of having Dom in his life like this. He hadn’t ever dreamed that it would be as good as this. Even after their first, rather anger-fuelled night together, he’d never dreamt it could continue, become something more.

And he didn’t think he was alone in how he felt. Sometimes he caught Dom just looking at him and something more than lust travelled through Brian at the sensation: there was surprise and wonder and something deeper there in his eyes, and Brian would never tire of seeing that, feeling it, knowing it meant something powerful for both of them. 

“Oh, _man_! Not again.” Vince’s voice broke through the moment and Brian tilted his head to see him standing glaring at them with his hands in the air like he was begging for divine intervention or just despairing of the two of them.

Dom didn’t even look up: he just continued kissing Brian’s neck, but Brian could feel the way his lips had curved into a smile at the reaction they’d caused. Again.

Leon wandered over and grabbed Vince’s arm. “Lunch,” he said simply. “I ain’t hanging around to be scarred by that again.”

Brian let out a soft laugh. Maybe he should feel more embarrassed about the reminder of the time that Leon had walked into the garage to find Dom with his hand down Brian’s boxers as he sprawled back against the hood of someone’s car. Somehow he couldn’t find it within himself to care. 

He felt Dom chuckle a little against his neck as Leon and Vince hurried away from the garage, Vince still complaining loudly about how nothing was sacred and he didn’t know where he could even sit down without wondering if someone’s bare ass had occupied the space before. Then Dom licked his way up Brian’s neck before sucking at the spot where his throat met his jaw and everything else around them was drowned out. Dom’s fingers dug into the waistband of his jeans and hauled him closer, rocking up against him so that Brian could feel his erection, before he used the same grip he had to drag him towards his office. 

Brian barely remembered to kick the door closed behind them before Dom spun him around and pressed him up against the wall. 

“Me being a Good Samaritan gets you going, does it?” Brian asked around a gasp as Dom bit down on his neck again. 

Dom lifted his head and gave him a look as if to say ‘ _you get me going_ ’ before he pressed his lips to Brian’s again. He thrust his hips forward, rubbing his crotch against Brian and making them both draw in a breath.

“Thought I’d better check,” he murmured against Brian’s ear as he leaned in. 

Rocking his hips forward, Brian wrapped one hand around the back of Dom’s neck, the fingers of his other hand digging into his hip. “Check what?” 

“If you were a good boy or not,” Dom breathed against his ear, and Brian shuddered at the sensation and the words, combined with the feeling of Dom palming his dick through the front of his jeans.

Brian didn’t reply: actions were better than words, he’d always thought. Grabbing Dom’s biceps, he turned them, pressing Dom back against his desk. His fingers moved to Dom’s pants, slipping the button open and dragging the zip down. He knew Dom was watching him, could feel his eyes on him, and it made him hot in the best possible way. Reaching his hand inside, he wrapped his fingers around Dom’s hard cock through the thin material of his underwear. He felt the hum of approval as much as he heard it. 

Dom rocked into his grip slightly and Brian couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him. There was something incredible about kissing Dom; something he couldn’t put into words which had his heart soaring and his toes curling. As he licked into Dom’s mouth, he pulled his hand free and pushed down on the stiff material of his jeans, working them past Dom’s hips before his thumb traced the line of the waistband of his boxers.

He pulled back from Dom a little, enjoying the fact that Dom chased his lips as he moved away. Then he sunk down onto his knees. Dom groaned lowly just at the sight of it and Brian grinned to himself - there was something incredible about having this power over Dom who was usually so controlled. Knowing that he could draw a moan of pleasure from him, caused just by anticipation, was an amazing feeling. 

Dom watched with dark eyes as Brian’s hands held his hips. They darkened a little further when Brian looked up at him, lifted one eyebrow, and then leaned forward to mouth at his dick through the material of his boxers. Dom drew in a breath and his teeth sunk into his lower lip. Brian was sure he was wondering whether he could get away with telling Brian to get to the main event, but he’d get there. And if Dom wanted to know if he was a good boy or not, surely a bit of teasing would help make his mind up. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Dom managed to say as Brian lifted a hand and squeezed his balls. He grabbed Brian’s shoulders to steady himself, but also let the desk behind him take some of his weight as he leant back against it.

“Good, hmm?” Brian paused to ask cheekily. He knew exactly what he was doing. 

Dom gazed down at him. “Good,” he grunted. 

With a confident smirk up at him, Brian hooked his thumbs under the waistband and dragged Dom’s boxers down, freeing his hard cock.

Dom reached out, cupping Brian’s head in one large hand before he moved his hand further back to stroke his fingers through the curls at the base of Brian’s skull - he loved running his hands through Brian’s hair and Brian loved the feeling of it - and suddenly Brian couldn’t resist anymore. Bunching up the bottom of Dom’s shirt with one hand, he moved forward, licking Dom’s dick from root to tip in one long drag before taking his length into his mouth. Looking up at Dom through his eyelashes, he watched as Dom drew in another stuttered breath. It seemed like he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Brian and his own lips parted around a silent gasp as Brian’s cheeks hollowed. 

Releasing Dom’s now crumpled shirt, Brian wrapped one hand around the base of Dom’s cock as he bobbed his head up and down; his other hand slid behind Dom, his fingers clutching at his ass and urging him to rock forward into his mouth. 

Taking as much of Dom as he could, Brian hummed a little in pleasure when Dom reached down and stroked his hand across his cheek. He knew that Dom got off on the feeling of his dick in Brian’s mouth, knew that he loved feeling Brian’s jaw working as he sucked him off, knew that Dom enjoyed dipping his thumb into the hollow of his cheeks. 

After their exploration, Dom’s hands found their way back to Brian’s hair and his fingers twisted slightly in the curls at the back of his head. And Brian loved it. He moaned lowly around Dom’s cock; the vibrations causing Dom’s hips to buck forwards. Brian reached down for a moment to palm at his own dick through his pants, needing some relief from the pressure he could feel straining against the material covering his crotch. 

Clearly, Dom noticed.

“Fuck...Bri,” he groaned out, pushing his hips forward again, but not losing control and fucking into Brian’s mouth like he probably wanted to as he chased his orgasm. 

Brian just kept moving his mouth over him, sucking him firmly, pulling back all the way and letting his tongue tease at the tip of his dick, before sinking down on him again. Dom’s whole body seemed to be shuddering with the sensation of it: he groaned low and his hand tightened in Brian’s hair. 

“Bri...” he managed to breathe out. “ _Brian_...that’s it.”

And Brian knew it was a warning that if he wanted to pull away, now was the time. But he didn’t want to. It merely spurred him on, and he slipped a hand beneath Dom and squeezed his balls as he slid his mouth over him once more and Dom erupted, crying out a breathy yell, as he came. And Brian swallowed around him, taking everything he gave him and keeping up the pressure even as Dom shuddered through his orgasm and looked like he might collapse to the floor. He grunted as Brian licked at him once more and finally rocked back on his heels, smiling up at him as he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. Dom slumped back against the desk, allowing it to take his weight as he gazed down at him. 

At some point, Brian had undone his own pants and slipped his hand inside and was leaning back slightly as he palmed at his dick. If Dom wanted to watch, that was just fine, but if he wanted to get involved when his heart rate had calmed down, Brian was definitely open to that. And Brian wouldn’t mind getting up off his knees either, but he wasn’t about to spoil the mood by saying that out loud.

Dom watched him closely for a few moments, his eyes flicking from his face down to where his hand was working inside his pants. Brian felt the intensity of his gaze like it was scorching him and the way Dom pulled his lower lip between his teeth told him everything that Dom was thinking. 

Dom pushed away from the desk, pulling his pants back up as he moved, and took the step needed to be directly in front of Brian. He looked down at him and then held out his hand. 

“Come here,” he said. 

Brian didn’t hesitate. He pulled his hand free from his pants and offered his other hand to Dom, who took it and hauled him up and onto his feet. Then he grabbed Brian by the hips, pushed him backwards and up to his desk. Brian took the hint and slid onto it, opening his legs so Dom could step between his thighs. He didn’t have chance to speak before Dom had descended on him, leaning him backwards a little as he crushed his lips against Brian’s and shoved his hand inside his open jeans and past the waistband of his boxers so he could start jerking him off. 

Brian clutched at his shoulders, his neck, his back; his hands scrabbling all over Dom as he arched and bucked his hips up into Dom’s fist. Dom tore his mouth away and clamped it against Brian’s neck and he moaned out loudly as Dom sucked on the sensitive skin of his throat. He gripped the back of Dom’s head, holding him there as he felt himself begin to unravel. 

Dom’s hand moved over him faster and Brian thrust up chasing the feeling that was building. 

“Uh...fuck...Dom,” he panted, and when Dom twisted his hand in just the right way on the upstroke, Brian felt himself come undone. He cried out, shaking and spilling his load all over Dom’s hand and his own stomach where his shirt had ridden up. 

“Fucking gorgeous,” he was sure he heard Dom mutter against his ear, but he couldn’t be sure over the sound of his pulse racing. 

Eventually, Brian’s shuddering subsided and he released his desperate hold on Dom, slumping back onto his elbows as he propped himself up against the desk. Dom was watching him again and Brian didn’t feel any desire to move any time soon. He could stay there and let Dom look as much as he wanted. But Dom moved, grabbing an old towel from the top of the unit beside his desk and chucking it at Brian so he could clean himself up. 

Catching it, Brian paused for a moment and grinned at Dom. 

“So, what’s the verdict?” he asked and he rolled his hips slightly. “Good?”

Dom shook his head at him. “You’re an idiot.” He rolled his eyes, but there was a fondness in his eyes that warmed Brian all over. “You already know what I think.”

Brian laughed and began wiping himself off. He shuffled off the desk and pulled his pants back up. 

Dom crowded into his space as he did so and caught him off guard. He pressed his lips against Brian’s and squeezed his hip. 

“Although we might have to do a more thorough check later. Just to be sure,” he said as he pulled away.

Brian’s eyes widened at the words and he smiled again. 

“Come on,” Dom said as he pushed him towards the door. “Better go catch up with the others.”

When they stepped out of the relative darkness of the office and walked back through the garage and into the sunshine outside - laughing and teasing, Dom’s arm over Brian’s shoulder, keeping him close as they walked - neither of them noticed the car parked on the other side of the street. Neither of them noticed the person inside watching them intently. Neither of them noticed the way hands clenched around the steering wheel and eyes narrowed as they were watched. 


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the lovely feedback and encouragement on the first chapter - it definitely inspired me to keep going and write the next chapter.
> 
> I’d just like to point out that I’m taking some serious liberties with police procedures here. Suspend your disbelief!

“Coffee, O’Conner,” Rowe said as he slid back into the patrol car and handed Brian his paper cup.

“Thanks,” Brian replied with a nod. “Took you long enough. Thought I was going to have to come in there and rescue you.”

His partner grinned at him. “Didn’t think it was an appropriate use of the badge just to use it to get to the front of the queue.”

Brian laughed. “Ah, you have much to learn.” 

He turned back to face the windshield and watched as an attractive young woman stepped out of the coffee shop. She glanced over at their car and smiled shyly.

Brian tipped his cup towards her as she walked away. “She wouldn’t be anything to do with why it took so long, would she?”

Rowe’s eyes widened comically and he shook his head quickly. “No! Of course not...I wasn’t...I wouldn’t...” 

He looked like a naughty schoolboy, caught doing something he shouldn’t, and Brian laughed as he shook his head. 

“I’m kidding,” he said to put him out of his floundering misery. “But I have to warn you, the ones who are interested in the uniform are usually a little crazy.”

Panic fading as he realised that Brian was joking, Rowe released a nervous laugh and shook his head slightly. 

It wasn’t just little old ladies that Brian was eager to help. He was also looking after his new partner. Liam Rowe was a rookie, fresh out of the academy, and new to the area too. He’d moved from Seattle and had no family or friends nearby. He’d been assigned as Brian’s latest partner and he had taken him under his wing. 

He seemed much younger than Brian, despite the fact that there could only have been four or five years between them, but Rowe had a kind of naivety about him that meant Brian felt like he needed looking after, someone to show him the ropes and keep him from inadvertently pissing off too many folk in the neighbourhood they worked in. 

And Brian had to admit that he was grateful to have a partner who actually wanted to work alongside him.

The year or so since he’d been back in LA hadn’t been easy. For some reason that Dom had never understood, Brian had wanted to get back in with the LAPD. The job in Miami, and the surprising good word put in by Bilkins, had gone a long way towards making that happen, and then Tanner had stepped in and vouched for Brian. Tanner, who had been more of a father figure than anyone else in Brian’s life, had put his neck on the line for him again and Brian wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to thank the man enough for his support. 

Or course, rejoining the force hadn’t meant that everything just fell back into place. Brian had hoped - maybe unrealistically - that people at the precinct might not all be aware of what had gone down with Dom and the hijackings, but that would have been far too easy. From the day he’d walked back into the precinct, he’d faced the looks of disdain from his colleagues who thought he was dirty, the whispered conversations that he knew were about him, and the outright hostility and verbal abuse. He’d held his own: he’d let most of it go and stood up for himself when he’d needed to. Of course things had become even more challenging when people found out that he was with Dom. Not only was he shacked up nice and cosy with a person who most of the force thought was a low-life criminal, he was dating the person he’d supposedly gone native for during his undercover operation and ultimately helped escape capture. Pile on the fact that Dom was a man and Brian was pretty much screwed. He knew most of his colleagues wouldn’t piss on him if he were on fire. 

He’d stuck it out though. There had been some awful days: days when Dom had told him to quit, that there must have been better ways to make his money and that he didn’t need to put up with the shit he was getting. And Brian knew that Dom worried about him and felt a certain amount of guilt about what was happening, but he was adamant that he wasn’t quitting. He’d joined the police for a reason and that hadn’t changed: he wanted to help people. 

Partners had come and gone. Brian was pretty sure he held the record for the highest number of partners in the precinct’s history. Some of them were obviously pissed at being assigned to work with him, some of them hardly spoke to him. Some requested a transfer and others kicked up a stink until they were swapped out. He’d even got into a fight with one of them, just outside the precinct, and, despite the dressing down he’d got from his Chief, it had been worth it to wipe the smug smile off his now ex-partner’s face when he’d punched him so hard he’d sent him tumbling onto his ass on the concrete. No-one had tried to square up to Brian since that and the comments had become less frequent too so he definitely took it as a win. 

Brian had worked his beat alone for a while and, while that hadn’t been ideal, he’d also felt better about it than any of his partners. So when one of the new recruits had been assigned to him, Brian had tried to be hopeful, but expected the worst: he expected the new guy to get warned all about the ‘dirty cop’ he was working with. It was pretty hard to change someone’s mind if they’d already had their head filled with someone else’s bitterness and hatred. Add to that the fact that Brian was sleeping with a man - which seemed to give the assholes at the precinct just one more excuse to think they could treat him like shit - and he knew he’d probably be waving goodbye to another partner within a couple of weeks. Who in their right mind would want to be partnered up with someone who was such a pariah amongst their colleagues? 

But Rowe hadn’t seemed bothered by anything he’d heard about Brian. If the other cops had tried to fill him in on Brian and his history, either Rowe hadn’t listened or he’d just ignored them. He hadn’t brought any prejudice against Brian along with him from the moment they’d been introduced and they seemed to get on fine. 

Rowe was pretty quiet, but not in a hostile, being awkward kind of way. He just seemed like a quiet guy, someone who liked to listen and learn and pay attention. He was slowly opening up to Brian, but he hadn’t yet found out what had brought Rowe to LA - to Echo Park of all places - when he had no family or friends in the area. 

They’d been partnered up for a few months and things were going pretty well. Brian was more than a little relieved to have a partner who didn’t hate his guts, and who he could trust to have his back if they got involved in anything serious, and Rowe seemed to be gaining in confidence every day under Brian’s guidance and advice. It seemed like Rowe was a little bit in awe of Brian: he hung on his every word and seemed to be under the impression that Brian was the best teacher he could have wished for. And Brian didn’t have the heart to shatter his illusions about how great he thought Brian was by reminding him that, actually, he was lucky to even have his job anymore because he’d made some less than legal moves in the past few years. He didn’t want to confirm what he knew Rowe had probably already been told by the assholes down at the precinct (but was choosing to ignore for some reason) and he didn’t want to ruin the first decent partnership he’d had at work since before he’d gone undercover with Dom. 

Plus, he liked being a mentor to the younger officer. Brian had been pretty lucky with his own first partner: a decent guy who’d shown him the ropes; taught him how to get people opening up and talking; warned him about things, places and people to avoid; shown him the best places to get a cup of coffee while they were on shift. He liked the idea of being that person for someone else just starting out with their career. 

And Brian had been lucky that Tanner had taken him under his wing too. He’d clearly seen something in Brian, some potential that Brian hadn’t understood, but he’d helped him and encouraged him, and even when Brian had totally fucked up the job that Tanner had selected him for, the sergeant had still supported him. Brian felt like he owed him a lot. He was sure Tanner didn’t view it like that. And Brian would never get sentimental enough to say it, but Tanner was the reason he’d met Dom and nothing - not the jibes and abuse from his colleagues, not the danger he’d faced - would ever make him regret that. 

“Patrol 463, receiving?” The radio crackled to life with the dispatcher’s voice and Brian reached for the mic to reply.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“10-51 on Glendale Avenue. Can you respond?”

“Copy. We‘re en route.”

He turned the key in the ignition as Rowe pulled his seatbelt on. 

“Come on then, Rookie,” Brian said as he pulled out of their parking bay. “A 10-51 - what’s that?”

They’d been doing this most shifts - when a call came over the radio (even if it wasn’t for them to respond to), Brian would quiz his partner on what the various codes and abbreviations meant.

“Intoxicated party,” Rowe answered immediately. “That was too easy.”

Brian nodded at him and gave him a smile. 

“You do know that if we have to get him in the back and he pukes, it’s your job to clean it up, right?” Brian asked, feigning complete seriousness. 

Rowe glanced over at him, his face scrunched up in disgust. 

“No way, man,” he argued. 

“Yep. That’s totally a rookie’s job,” Brian told him.

“I don’t do puke,” Rowe replied, although he was starting to look a little concerned.

“Better hope you can talk him into heading home without too much trouble then,” Brian said as he grinned at his partner and drove them towards their destination. 

***

The mild teasing and joking of their lunchtime call to the drunk guy faded as their shift drew towards its close. They’d had a pretty good shift: nothing out of the ordinary; the day had gone fairly quickly; and even the intoxicated man on Glendale had turned out to be just overly loud and extremely apologetic when faced with two police officers telling him to go home and, for future reference, maybe quit day-drinking. 

Then they’d had a call for a domestic disturbance at an address that Brian was all too familiar with; he’d been called out to the same property more than once in the last few months. As usual, it was the neighbours that had called 911. 

When they’d arrived, he’d found an almost carbon copy of a scene he’d been to before. 

A woman, in her mid-twenties, bloodied, bruised and wide-eyed, stood in her living room as her husband was escorted outside to the patrol car. He was ranting and raving as usual and she stared after him and only seemed to come back into the room when the loud thunk of the car door closing outside finally cut off his yelling. 

Brian knew that Rowe would be fine - another unit had attended the scene, so he knew his partner had back-up if he needed it. Not that he thought for a moment that he would: Mr Jeffrey Miller didn’t seem nearly as tough when faced with male cops as he did when he was knocking the shit out of his wife. 

A soft sniffle from the wife had Brian carefully guiding her to the couch and she sank down on it, trembling. She wiped at her mouth and the back of her hand came away smeared with blood. She had a red mark on her cheek bone that Brian knew would be an angry bruise by the morning. 

He lowered himself down to sit beside her on the couch so that he wasn’t standing towering over her. The last thing she needed was to feel trapped by another man looking down at her. He’d dealt with her enough times now to know that she’d open up more if she didn’t feel threatened by his, or anyone else’s, presence. 

“What happened, Shannon?” Brian asked gently. He didn’t add ‘this time’ on the end, although he wanted to. He was on first name terms with this poor woman he’d been there so many times. 

She blinked at him and shrugged slightly. “It was nothing. He just...I knocked his beer off the table. It was an accident,” she said quietly. 

Brian nodded. “Yeah, which means you didn’t deserve this.” He gestured to her face. 

“He didn’t mean to,” she argued. “You know what he’s like...he just gets...he just gets mad sometimes.”

And Brian did know exactly what Mr Miller was like. He’d been here before. He’d seen the other reports about what had gone on at this house. He desperately wanted Shannon to leave her husband, but he knew it was her decision to make. He couldn’t force her, and whatever hold he had over her was too strong. Maybe she was just terrified of what would happen if she tried to leave. It wouldn’t stop him trying to convince her: he tried every single time. 

“Shannon, you don’t have to put up with this, you know?” he said. “We can help you. We can find you somewhere safe to stay. We can help you press charges against him for this.”

Shannon blinked at him and it looked like she was actually considering the offer. Then she drew in a shuddering breath and shook her head once. It was like she was putting herself back together with that action and she was ready to face whatever came next. 

“I’m fine, Brian,” she said simply, but she didn’t look him in the eye as she spoke. 

Brian blew out a sigh, but tried to keep his face neutral. He didn’t want her to think he blamed her for this situation - far from it. 

“Okay,” he said as he nodded. “Well, we’ll be taking him down to the precinct for tonight anyway. We’ll need to ask him some questions and probably keep him in over night to let him cool off, so at least you’ll have a quiet evening to yourself.”

It was all he could do for her but the tiny smile she gave him showed that she seemed to appreciate it. Brian couldn’t imagine being so relieved to have the person that supposedly loved you locked up for the night just to give you some respite. 

“Thank you,” she said and it was so quiet he nearly missed it. 

He smiled at her and stood up from the couch. When he turned around, he was a little surprised to see Rowe standing in the doorway watching him. 

“Everything alright?” Brian asked, wondering how long his partner had been there. 

“Yeah, um, just checking how it was going. Reyes and Hannigan have got the suspect in the other cruiser ready to go,” Rowe told him. 

“Okay,” Brian said with a nod. He turned back to Shannon. “Look, you call us, if you need us, right?”

Shannon stood up and nodded. 

“I will,” she replied, and Brian knew it was a lie. 

He gave her a sad smile and she mirrored it. They both knew she wouldn’t be calling the cops if her husband started on her again. 

Brian followed Rowe out of the house and down onto the street. He glared at Shannon’s husband, who was staring out of the back of the other car. He didn’t look remorseful in the slightest and Brian wanted to punch him in the face, just to show him what it was like to be on the receiving end. Glancing back up at the house, he saw Shannon fade back into the shadows and close the front door. 

Hannigan slid back into the driver’s seat when she saw Brian and Rowe approaching. 

“Think it might take quite a while to process Mr Miller,” Reyes remarked as he stood beside the passenger door. “Probably take all night.”

He gave Brian a brief nod and it was reassuring somehow to know that, even though most of his colleagues didn’t care for him, they were still in agreement on wife-beating scum. 

Brian returned the gesture and then watched as the car pulled away from the curb. 

“You ready, O’Conner?” Rowe asked, breaking into his thoughts. 

“Yeah,” he muttered, before he turned to follow Rowe back to their car. He threw one final glance back at the house and then climbed in. 

***

Dom was waiting. He knew that something was bothering Brian and he knew he had to wait, but eventually, Brian would tell him. 

After several months together, he’d realised that Brian wasn’t that great at opening up about whatever was going on in his head. And he could appreciate that - he knew he was just the same so he wasn’t exactly in any position to criticise. But, over the months, he’d worked out that instead of pushing Brian into talking, or taking his false smile personally, or driving himself crazy about what he was hiding, he just needed to wait. 

They’d had a few pretty heated arguments when one of them had some shit going on and they did the usual ‘I can deal with this on my own’ thing, leading the other one to worry (not that they were good at admitting that in so many words either) and prod and poke to try to figure out what was going on until they inevitably started yelling at one another. 

After going round in circles with that one for a while, Dom had finally learned that there was a better way. He’d learnt to read Brian pretty well; he could pick up on the changes in his mood and that meant he’d learnt to be patient. Because Brian eventually opened up on his own terms. Maybe whatever it was that was bugging him became too much for him to keep inside his own head for too long, or maybe he’d just realised that Dom wouldn’t judge him, would listen to him, would try to help him, but whatever it was, Brian trusted Dom and that meant he could talk to him. 

Dom had had a pretty decent day. The garage had been busy, the usual hub of activity with people coming and going, plenty to be working on. Leon and Vince had been on good form and they’d spent the day trading good-natured jokes as they’d worked. 

Letty had made an appearance for the third day in a row after she’d stopped by a couple of days before and things hadn’t been weird between them for the first time in ages. It was like she’d been testing the waters, checking if she was ready to be in Dom’s company for more than an hour or so at a time, and she’d obviously decided that she could handle it.

She’d wandered in that morning, headed over to see what Leon was working on and dived straight in to helping him out. She’d slotted back into the garage like she’d not been absent for months. 

When everything had settled down, Letty had erupted at the news that Dom was with Brian. She’d refused to believe it. She’d yelled at them and punched Dom and spat venom at Brian. Dom hadn’t been sure what she was actually mad about: that Dom was sleeping with a guy; the fact that that guy was Brian; or that he’d moved on with anyone at all and she just didn’t like it.

And the weirdest thing was that her and Dom had been over for a while before that: the whole mess with the truck hijackings had driven too big of a wedge between them and they’d both accepted that, as hard as it had been. 

It was definitely progress and she’d even managed to talk to Dom without making any overly snide comments or looking like she was about to scratch his eyes out. 

He was glad she was back. Sure the garage was busy and they could do with the extra pair of hands, but mostly he just liked having his family together. 

After everything that had gone down, they’d been scattered, hurt and lost, and it had taken a long time to bring them back together. They’d lost Jesse and Dom didn’t think he’d ever forgive himself for that. He’d gone over it so many times, wondering how he could have stopped it, wishing he’d done things differently, and ultimately feeling like he’d failed: he hadn’t protected Jesse, hadn’t been able to save him, and it would probably haunt him for the rest of his life. 

After that, he’d vowed he wouldn’t lose anyone else. Not if it could be avoided. He’d worked hard to bring them all back together: getting Vince back on his feet after his horrific injuries; bringing Leon home when the coast was clear; trying to make things right with Letty; and, of course, making sure that Mia was safe and nowhere close to being in anyone’s firing line. His little sister was the success of the family and he’d be damned if he let anything destroy that. 

So things were finally settled and looking good and Dom felt - for the first time since his father had died - like he had truly got his head screwed on right and he wasn’t just pretending he knew what he was doing. 

There had to be a certain irony to the fact that Brian was a massive part of that: Brian who simultaneously drove him crazy and made him feel like he’d found the other half of himself.

Their relationship wasn’t perfect - far from it - but he loved the way they fit together, the push and pull between them, the way they both gave as good as they got, and he knew he could trust Brian: with his family and his life. Sometimes he almost forgot that they’d met because of a lie. The way he felt about Brian’s presence in his life seemed to erase that somehow. 

Brian had arrived home shortly after his shift had finished. He’d wandered into the house, greeted Dom and headed straight up for a shower. That was all pretty standard. As usual, he hadn’t been wearing his uniform. He very rarely wore it home. It seemed like some unspoken decision he’d made when he’d moved in with Dom and Dom could guess why. Going back to his job as a cop had been hard enough to adjust to for both of them. Dom hadn’t wanted to make a big deal of it, but it was clearly a huge issue in their developing relationship. After the disaster with the truck, he’d been appalled to discover that Brian was a cop. The betrayal he’d felt had cut him deeply, but when Brian had handed over his keys and told him to go, some of that had eased, even if only minutely. 

When he’d found Brian again, and they’d finally got their shit together, he’d never imagined that Brian would want to return to his former career path. When he’d been offered his job back, Dom had literally had to bite his tongue to stop himself saying something that he didn’t think they’d have been able to recover from. He hadn’t been sure how it would ever work: the cop living with the ex-con; their lives entangled with a lot of people who weren’t exactly always on the up and up. Surely that was a conflict of interests. 

And it wasn’t just their own issues that threatened to stand in their way. Brian had got a hard time from some of the locals and Dom had received the same. He’d lost customers at the garage and the market, and people who’d once been his friends had kept their distance. He wondered how much of it was to do with Brian being a cop and how much was actually down to the fact that they didn’t want to mix with the two queers living down the street. He’d seen plenty of prejudice in his life and he wasn’t blind to what was going on around them. A cop and fucking a dude - surely that made them the perfect target for hate in some people’s eyes. 

It had been tough going. But Dom had never backed down from anyone’s dirty looks or poisonous comments. He’d silently challenged so many ignorant assholes to start something and unsurprisingly no-one had taken him up on the offer. Stubbornly, they’d held their heads up and kept going. And months later, things were finally settling down: the garage was busier; their friends had accepted the way things were and that Brian wasn’t about to hand them all over to the cops every time they went to a street race; the number of assholes giving them hassle was pretty much zero. 

But Dom knew that Brian still got some trouble at work. Not as much as he had at the start, but he knew there were still plenty of jerks down at the LAPD. And he wondered it that was the problem tonight. 

When Brian had first gone back to work, he’d come home some nights and looked pissed off and sometimes he’d looked tired, and some days he’d looked almost defeated, and that was not something that Dom had ever witnessed on Brian before. It had taken weeks before Brian had finally told him about the shit he was getting from his fellow officers and Dom had felt his blood boil at what he heard. He’d told Brian to quit, told him it wasn’t worth it. But Brian was stubborn. He’d refused to walk away and it had caused more than one argument between them when Dom went into protective mode and tried to convince him to quit and Brian stood his ground. 

Things had improved when Brian had come home one night with the beginnings of a black eye and a bright smile on his face. Dom had been fuming, but soon reassured by Brian’s almost gleeful retelling of his fight with his now ex-partner, who’d started talking shit and ended up with a broken nose. There hadn’t been as many crappy days at the precinct since then and Dom had less reason to be worried. 

But now he wondered if something had kicked off again because, despite Brian doing a good job of talking over dinner and listening to Dom, it was obviously a front to mask whatever was going on in his head. There weren’t many days that went by that Brian didn’t come home with some story about what had happened while he’d been on shift, from the mundane to the downright crazy, but he hadn’t shared anything from his day since he’d got home. It was one of his tells, and Dom knew it meant there was something more on his mind. 

He didn’t push, knew he just needed to wait. Giving Brian space to think was more effective than trying to force him to open up. It might take a couple of hours, or it might be days, but they’d get there. 

Sitting at the table, looking over the books from the market, he listened as Brian clattered about in the kitchen, clearing up after their dinner. The fridge door opened and then a bottle of Corona was put in front of Dom as Brian made his way into the living room. He slumped down on the couch and pressed his head back, blowing out a long breath.

“We got called out to this domestic incident today,” he said suddenly, his head still back against the couch, and Dom put his pen down to watch him. Brian was clearly ready to talk. “We’ve been out to the house before. Same thing every time: abusive asshole has been beating his wife again and the neighbours have called the cops.” He finally sat up straighter and looked at Dom. 

Dom didn’t say anything. He waited again. He didn’t know when he’d learnt to be so patient, but not for the first time, he wondered if that was something to do with Brian. 

“I’ve talked to her. Tried to get her to get help, talked to her about getting out of there, but she just won’t do it. She just stays there with him and she knows he’s never going to change. She knows he’ll do it again. And I just...I don’t get it,” Brian sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. “But I guess I do. Ugh, I don’t know what I’m even talking about.”

That was when Dom moved. Slowly, he got to his feet and crossed the room, sinking down onto the couch beside Brian. 

“You know why she won’t leave him?” he asked.

Brian shrugged. “Not really. There’s no kids involved, which is good in one way, but then I wonder if there were if she’d be more easily convinced to get away from him. It’s like...she’s just stuck there. Too afraid to leave him.”

“Maybe she’s scared about what will happen if she does,” Dom suggested. 

“So fear of the unknown is greater than living in fear every day? Knowing that if she so much as sneezes wrong, he’ll knock her about? I want to help her.”

“You do,” Dom said firmly. “You show up when she needs you.”

“Too late,” Brian replied immediately, the frustration obvious in his tone. “The damage is already done.”

Dom sighed. He knew Brian hated feeling like he hadn’t done enough. “You can’t force her to leave him. But you just have to remind her that she has the choice.”

Brian stared at him for a long moment and then nodded once. 

“Part of me just wants to go over there and kick his ass. Teach him a lesson, give him a taste of what it’s like, you know?” he eventually said. 

“Hmm,” Dom nodded. “I get that. But what good will it do, really? If you get suspended or lose your job, you can’t help her, or anyone else, anymore. Or worse, he takes what you did out on her.”

Brian closed his eyes for a moment and blew out a long sigh. When he opened his eyes, he offered Dom a small smile. “When did you become the rational one in this relationship?” he asked, the gentle humour obvious on his face.

Dom grunted. “Probably about the time you handed me a set of keys and told me to run and I realised you had no sense of self-preservation.” 

Brian huffed out a soft laugh and rubbed his hand over his face.

Dom watched him closely. Yeah, that was definitely the moment. He loved how Brian cared about what was right; how he put other people first and was always looking out for everyone else. But sometimes, he wanted Brian to think about himself a bit more, make sure he thought about what he needed too. 

He leaned over suddenly, reaching out his hand and cupping the side of Brian’s face. He saw the surprise as Brian’s eyes widened a little as Dom’s hand guided his face towards him. Then his eyes softened and his eyelids fell as Dom closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against Brian’s gently. 

When they parted slightly, Brian ran his tongue over his lower lip. He looked a little starry eyed as his breath ghosted over Dom’s lips.

“What was that for?” he murmured.

Dom’s eyes roamed over his face as he ran his hand up and into Brian’s hair, smoothing some of the curls he’d messed up earlier. 

“Just thought you needed it,” he replied quietly. 

Brian smiled at him. One of the first genuine smiles he’d given him since he’d walked through the door that night. One of those smiles that Dom treasured because he’d put it on Brian’s face. 

***

They’d headed up to bed not long after their talk on the couch - the books forgotten on the table and Brian’s concerns hopefully left downstairs too. 

They lay in their bed and Brian kissed him deeply; Dom chasing his lips every time he moved away even slightly - it was like he couldn’t get enough of Brian and he’d given up trying to pretend otherwise. Sometimes he wondered what Brian could do with such power over him. 

They were both breathing deeply by the time Dom grabbed Brian’s arms and flipped him onto his back. Brian was no weakling - he gave as good as he got in any scrap - but he also knew that Brian got off on Dom manhandling him from time to time, and he knew he wouldn’t fight him on this. 

He smiled down at him and was rewarded by Brian’s bright grin stretching across his face. He dipped his head and kissed him again before he moved to lie beside Brian, nudging him over until he was lying on his side, his back pressed to Dom’s front. 

Reaching behind him to grab the lube that was on his nightstand, Dom squeezed some out onto his hand and trailed his hand across Brian’s ass and then pressed his finger between his cheeks. He stroked and teased at his hole before he pushed a finger inside, loving the feeling of Brian’s body already reacting to his touch. He moved his finger inside Brian as he sucked at the skin of his neck and shoulder, and when he heard him moan quietly, he pressed in with a second finger, and then a third when Brian was writhing and practically begging him for more. 

Clamping his mouth down on the sensitive spot where Brian’s neck met his shoulder, he crooked his fingers and Brian jolted. He reached back, wrapping his hand around the back of Dom’s head both to keep his mouth where it was on his skin and to try to pull him closer as he fucked himself on Dom’s fingers. 

“ _Dom_ ,” he managed to gasp. “Please, _ah_ , Dom…”

Dom withdrew his hand and took his own achingly hard dick in hand, guiding it towards Brian’s ass. Brian reached back for him again, twisting his head back and pulling him into a searing kiss, and Dom held the base of his cock in one hand as he pushed forward into the heat of Brian’s body. He shifted as close as he could, their bodies flush, their legs bent so they were slotted together like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. 

Brian kept his head tilted back and kissed him desperately as they moved together, his hand reaching back to grab at Dom’s thigh as he thrust into him, his fingers digging into the flesh. Dom reached down and grasped his hand, threading their fingers together, bringing it back in front of Brian, against his stomach, to pull him impossibly closer, and Brian wrenched his mouth away as he cried out in pleasure. 

Dom shifted to plant his foot against the mattress so he could move against Brian more firmly, and he loved the feeling of Brian pressed so closely against him, the feeling of him rocking back against him, taking everything Dom gave him and crying out for more with his body. He loved the way he could lean up ever so slightly to kiss and suck the side of Brian’s neck and see the pleasure displayed on his face as he gasped and panted and cried out.

Brian squeezed Dom’s hand as he moaned again. “Oh,  _ fucking _ hell… Dom .”

Dom pulled his hand from Brian’s and reached down to stroke his cock. He watched his face, seeing the blissful little smile tugging at his lips and then the way his teeth sank into his bottom lip, turning it white, as he bucked his hips to meet what Dom was giving him. Suddenly, Brian curled forward a little before he gasped again, his whole body shaking, and he came over Dom’s fist and onto the sheets. Dom stroked him through his orgasm, feeling the shudders that passed through him and the clenching of his hole around his cock. He kept thrusting into Brian, hearing him hiss lowly as he was becoming oversensitive. 

‘Fucking gorgeous,’ Dom thought as he watched Brian’s face closely, the way his lips parted around his breathy sighs and his eyes fell shut as he rode out the after-shock. And the heat that had been building within him rushed through him as he came, moving inside Brian until he was completely spent and panting to catch his breath.

It seemed a long time before they moved. They were both breathing heavily and covered in sweat and it seemed like neither of them particularly wanted to move from their current position, plastered together, Dom’s chest still pressed tightly against Brian’s back, but Dom did move just enough to pull away from Brian’s ass. They didn’t go far and eventually Brian reached behind him, twisting his body a little, and pulled Dom into a kiss. When they parted Brian blinked up at him and grinned. He ran his fingers down the side of Dom’s face and seemed to be drinking in every feature with his eyes. 

“What?” Dom asked quietly, feeling a little overwhelmed by the scrutiny and the look on Brian’s face. 

“Just taking a moment,” Brian replied. 

Dom didn’t know what he was taking a moment to do, but Brian seemed perfectly content to just lie there and gaze up at him like he’d hung the moon. It was a lot, but he knew he sometimes looked at Brian in just the same way. It was something rare and wonderful to be the focus of this man’s attention, and Dom wondered how he’d ever got so lucky to be the one who deserved Brian, who cared so deeply and loved so fiercely.

He pressed a kiss to Brian’s mouth to stop himself saying something too soppy. 

“Don’t ever change,” he murmured against his lips instead, but, by the way Brian’s eyes lit up, he thought that maybe that was soft enough. 

He pressed his face against Brian’s shoulder. 

“I’ll remind you about that next time I’m pissing you off,” Brian said with a soft laugh. 

Dom hummed against Brian’s skin as his fingers came up to rest against the back of his head and just hold him close. He knew he would, but he meant every word. 


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the encouragement and feedback. I’m really enjoying writing this fic. 
> 
> We’re getting quite a lot from Dom’s perspective at the moment but we will see more from Brian’s as we go on.

“Cutting it fine this morning, aren’t we?” Brian asked as he watched Rowe rush towards him. 

He was waiting by their patrol car where he’d been standing for the last ten minutes. Rowe had missed the pre-shift briefing and Brian had ended up covering for him when the Chief had asked where he was. 

While Brian was only joking, Rowe looked pretty stressed out by his late arrival.

“It’s my damned car,” he said as he approached Brian.

“What’s up with it?” Brian asked. 

“No idea. I couldn’t get it to start this morning so I had to catch the bus.” 

Brian slid into the driver’s seat of their patrol car as Rowe climbed in on the other side. He looked pretty flustered and like he’d ran the last part of his journey and Brian couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The poor guy had moved out to a new city, started a new job, had no family or friends locally, and had ended up buying a heap of shit car because that was all he could afford. 

“Why don’t you bring it over to DT’s?” he offered as he turned the key in the ignition. 

Rowe bit his lip and looked down at his knees. “I...um...I can’t really afford it, to be honest. That’s kind of why I’m stuck with it in the first place.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Brian said with a casual shrug. “I’ll help you out with it and then you can pay Dom back for the parts when you get more settled. That way, at least you won’t have to pay for the time spent on it.”

Rowe blinked at him in surprise. “You’d do that?”

Brian grinned at him. “You’ve heard me talking about cars, right? And I love a challenge which, let’s face it, it sounds like you’ve set yourself one with your car.”

Rowe let out a quiet laugh. 

“But...won’t...won’t your boyfriend mind me being at the garage?”

“Why?” Brian asked. He still hadn’t got used to the word ‘boyfriend’ when he heard it about Dom or about himself. But he didn’t know what else to call him. After all, he already had a partner at work, so that wouldn’t work. But ‘boyfriend’ still surprised him whenever he thought about it.

There was some uncomfortable expression on Rowe’s face but Brian was sure it wasn’t because he was a homophobe. It wasn’t like they’d talked about Brian’s sexuality or his relationship status, but he’d never got the impression that Rowe had any problem with Brian being with a man. 

“Well, won’t he mind having a cop there?”

For a brief moment, Brian felt a little defensive for an entirely different reason. Why would Dom mind? It wasn’t like he was doing anything that he shouldn’t be. He wasn’t conducting criminal activities from the garage. Then, almost immediately, the mild irritation at the question faded. He didn’t think for a minute that Rowe was trying to imply that Dom was up to no good - maybe he just knew about Dom’s past and wanted to make sure things wouldn’t be awkward. He generally seemed a quiet kind of guy - the sort who might struggle to fit in and get to know people - and he probably didn’t want to risk offending Brian, or making things weird between them, when Brian was the first person who’d offered to spend any time with him outside of work. 

“He lives with a cop,” Brian said with a grin. “I think he’s got pretty used to having one around.”

Rowe gave him a tight smile.

“So, what d’you say? Do you wanna bring your car down to Dom’s?”

Rowe still looked a little unsure. “I’m not that good with cars. Don’t know much about them really.”

Brian grinned again. “And that’s why you need to bring it in. I’ll be gentle with her, I promise.”

Rowe actually laughed at his words. “Yeah, go on then,” he finally agreed.

***

There was a burst of laughter from the other side of the garage and Dom couldn’t help but look in that direction. He wasn’t overly interested in what was going on, but it seemed like he was bound to be curious when whatever it was had Brian and Leon laughing brightly. 

He’d wandered over that morning when the car had first been brought in and lifted his eyebrow at the state of it. It was nowhere near as bad as the Supra had been when Brian had arrived with that on the back of a truck and a grin on his face, but the car was still a disaster. At least it had rolled in on its own four wheels. 

Its owner - Brian’s latest partner - seemed to be pretty clueless about cars and Dom had just shaken his head at him when he’d seemed genuinely confused about why Brian had released a long whistle at the sight of it and Leon and Vince had practically been giggling at what he’d purchased.

Dom had almost rolled his eyes when he’d seen the Ford Taurus grumble its way up the driveway to the garage. It was such a typical car for a cop to drive (if that cop was in his fifties, instead of his early twenties) - Rowe could have painted it black and white and it would have fit right in down at the precinct. But Dom was still surprised that someone as young as Rowe had gone for something so terrible. 

Apparently, Rowe had bought the car (or been conned into buying it) when he’d moved into the area and now he needed some help fixing it up. Dom supposed it was fortunate that his partner had a boyfriend who owned a garage: extremely fortunate because no doubt anywhere else would see his naive face coming and charge him over the odds for the work. 

That morning had been the first time that Dom had met Brian’s new partner. Brian was pretty good at keeping home and work separate, and besides, none of his previous partners had stuck with Brian for long enough to be introduced anyway. That was probably for the best; Dom wasn’t sure he’d have been able to keep his temper in check if he’d ever had the opportunity to meet any of them. But Rowe seemed to have made a good impression on Brian. Dom knew he was a rookie, new in town, and from what Brian had told him, he seemed like a decent guy. Brian had definitely taken him under his wing and seemed to be thriving on having the chance to mentor someone. And, for Dom, it was just a relief to see Brian come home after a shift and seem content, instead of frustrated and pissed about the way his colleagues were treating him. 

Rowe had arrived at the garage in his beat-up old car that morning and Brian had introduced him to Dom. Despite having a couple of inches on Dom, and being even taller than Brian, Rowe wasn’t particularly well-built. He was gangly, like a teenager that hadn’t ever grown into his frame and filled it out, and he’d stood sort of awkwardly beside his car as Brian had done the meet and greet thing. 

It had been obvious that Rowe had been anxious about the meeting and Dom was quietly pleased to see that he’d been a little intimidated by him. Dom wasn’t an asshole, but he knew he had a reputation and he liked the fact that people thought twice before giving him shit. It wasn’t like he wanted to freak Brian’s partner out, but he also wanted him to know that he was in his space while he was at the garage and he needed to remember that. He might be Brian’s partner - and quickly becoming his friend, Dom supposed - but that didn’t mean that Dom had to suddenly like him too. He’d wait to make his judgement about Rowe and see if he lived up to Brian’s expectations. 

“Not everyone can have good taste in cars,” Brian had told Rowe with a smile as he’d slapped him on the back and shook his head in mock despair. 

“Yeah, some of us prefer import to muscle,” Dom had remarked, and Brian had laughed at their ongoing teasing as Dom had patted him on the back, copying his treatment of Rowe, but letting his hand linger a little longer on Brian’s shoulder and then trail down his arm before he walked away, leaving Brian and Rowe to start examining the car.

They’d been working on the car for a couple of hours. It was Brian’s day off, but it wasn’t exactly a surprise to find him down at the garage. He’d have turned up at some point even if he didn’t have Rowe’s car to work on. Between their own jobs, Leon and Vince had both wandered over to check out their progress, offering advice (sometimes useful, other times just piss taking), and laughing at the state of the car. 

Dom had been busy underneath a Mustang for the last hour or so, quite content to be lost in the job he was completing, but he’d been aware of the clattering about and noise coming from the rest of the garage. He liked to think he was always aware of what was going on in his environment. 

Pushing himself out from beneath the engine, he glanced over at where Brian and Leon were leaning over to peer inside the car. Rowe was standing beside it, watching them closely. He didn’t look like he’d relaxed much since he’d arrived and Dom wondered whether he was just that kind of guy, or whether he was uncomfortable being at the garage surrounded by the type of men he’d probably be suspicious of if he was on duty. 

Brian straightened and looked up at Rowe. He started talking, pointing down at something inside the engine, but Dom couldn’t hear what he was saying because Vince had started up one of the hydraulic jacks behind him which drowned everything out. 

He walked over to join the three of them and while Brian and Leon smiled at him, seeming like big kids excited to tell him about what they’d been up to, Rowe just stared at him like he was waiting for something to happen. It was kind of weird, but Dom had dealt with plenty of people being a bit on edge around him in his life so he didn’t dwell on it. 

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“Fucking disaster!” Leon declared brightly and then looked over at Rowe. “Sorry, dude.”

Rowe actually let out a soft chuckle and smiled. “Thought I’d give you guys a real challenge.”

Brian huffed out a laugh as he spun the wrench in his hand around. “That’s definitely the word for it. We can’t do any more today until we order in the parts but we’ve got a few days work here, I’d say. Is it okay with you if Rowe brings it back down when we’re off shift next time?”

Dom nodded once. Brian had a smear of black across his cheek (he always seemed to end up with oil or something on his face whenever he did any jobs at the garage) and he was slightly sweaty, his skin glowing and golden in the afternoon light, and Dom could have stared at him for the rest of the day. He’d never have been able to say no to anything he asked while he was looking like that. 

“Oh, jeez,” Leon suddenly said and drew Dom’s attention. He was looking at Rowe as he spoke. “They’re doing that staring at each other like they need some ‘alone time’ thing that they do, so I’d suggest you get out of here before you have to witness anything too horrific.”

Dom coughed as he almost choked on his own spit.

“Fuck off, Leon!” Brian said but he was laughing again so clearly not too concerned about what Rowe might think. “Ignore him, he’s an asshole,” he added as he looked at Rowe and gestured towards Leon. 

“I just tell it how it is,” Leon said as he walked away. 

Brian just rolled his eyes and reached up to pull the hood of the car down. 

Dom looked back towards Rowe, whose cheeks were suddenly a little more pink than they had been before Leon’s comment. His eyes flickered towards Dom and then he immediately looked away when their eyes met. 

‘Strange guy,’ Dom thought to himself. He couldn’t figure Rowe out and something about that really bugged him. 

***

Brian had been right about the car needing a few days work. He’d been at the garage with Rowe for a couple of hours on their days off over the last few weeks. Rowe didn’t seem to be in any great rush for his car to be back to top condition (or at least as good as it could be) so they’d just been dropping in at the garage when they found a time that suited everyone. 

Dom didn’t mind having Brian around - he’d never complain about that - but he was still struggling to get a read on what Rowe’s deal was. He seemed to have lightened up a bit since the first day he’d been there working on the car: he seemed friendlier; he laughed at the jokes going on more; he generally seemed to be more comfortable. But there was still something that Dom couldn’t put his finger on. Without wanting to be obvious about it, he’d been watching Rowe more closely than he had that first day. 

Clearly, he still didn’t have much idea about what he was doing with the car but he seemed willing enough to try to help. He watched whatever Brian was doing closely like he was maybe trying to pick up some tips. When Leon wandered over to where they were working, Rowe laughed more at the jokes that were being thrown around and he seemed more at ease with the way someone was usually winding someone else up as they worked. 

It struck Dom as a little weird that he didn’t so much as look twice at Letty when she walked in to start her shift on Rowe’s second day at the garage. Letty, who was attractive and didn’t exactly dress in a coverall for work, didn’t cause any reaction from Rowe apart from a polite greeting when Brian introduced them. 

And that had been a moment when Dom was focused on something else, instead of Rowe’s oddness, because Brian and Letty’s interactions had been fairly limited since they’d returned to LA and Dom was always half-expecting her to have another rant at Brian about what a shitty lying son of a bitch he was and, despite knowing that Brian didn’t need saving, he was always ready to wade into that mess. 

Thankfully, Letty had been on her best behaviour and merely nodded at Brian before walking towards Dom. 

“ _See_ , I can be a grown-up,” she’d remarked in that sexy gravelly voice of hers and then given him a cocky smirk. He’d known it was a reference to him accusing her of having a tantrum like a kid over Dom moving on with Brian, but he hadn’t reacted, just acknowledged her with a small, and what he’d hoped seemed grateful, smile. 

Walking past where Brian and Rowe were both leaning over the engine again, Dom headed into the office to fill in the paperwork for the latest job he was doing. He hated paperwork, but he always forced himself to do it straight away - better that than to put it off and end up with a pile of it and Mia yelling at him about how it was no way to run a business. She was probably right - she usually was.

He felt Vince’s presence before he heard him step inside the office space. 

Dom turned to him slowly when he didn’t speak straight away. Vince was different these days. After his near-death experience, he was more mellow, definitely less likely to hit the roof about something small, and he was quieter somehow. He put on a good front of being the mouthy guy he always was, but Dom had seen a different side to him, and not only in the way he interacted with Brian. 

“What’s up, Vince?” he asked, when it was clear that Vince wasn’t going to start the conversation even though he’d been the one to seek Dom out. 

Vince leaned back against one of the cabinets, his arms folded across his chest. He looked a little reluctant to say what was on his mind, and that was just another thing that had been tipped upside down by everything that had gone on in the last year or so. Eventually though, Vince obviously decided he needed to get whatever it was off his chest. 

“You know he’s got a thing for your boy, right?” he asked finally without any further hesitation. 

Dom really hadn’t been expecting that. “What?” he asked in utter bewilderment. 

“Lurch,” Vince said with a tip of his head towards where Rowe (who didn’t know about Vince’s less-than complimentary nickname) was now standing watching Brian bent over peering inside the hood of the car. “He’s got a crush on the buster.”

Dom blinked at him and then his eyes slid to his right briefly to look at what Vince was referring to.

Glancing back at his friend, Dom frowned. “What are you talking about, Vince?”

Vince merely shrugged. “A dude doesn’t look at another dude like that unless he wants to get in his pants.”

Dom’s frown deepened. “Because you’d know so much about how guys look at other guys, right?” He was trying to pretend like this conversation wasn’t rattling him, like Vince was just full of bullshit, but there was something like a bell ringing in his head that was declaring he’d suddenly revealed the answer to the question he’d been asking. 

“When have you ever known me to be wrong?” Vince asked with a cocky raised eyebrow.

‘Plenty of times,’ Dom thought to himself, but he knew it was a sly dig about when Vince had accused Brian of being a cop when he’d first started hanging around and, of course, he’d been right all along, despite Dom ignoring him and putting it down to petty jealousy. Or maybe he’d just been wilfully blind because he didn’t _want_ to see it. 

Dom didn’t reply. He pushed himself out of his chair and stood in the doorway of the office. Just watching. 

Rowe was watching Brian closely, and he had been doing that since Dom had first seen them together. He’d put it down to Rowe being a bit in awe of his mentor and grateful to Brian for being such a good partner by helping him out. He’d thought that Rowe was genuinely trying to learn about how to fix up cars when he’d seemed to be hanging on Brian’s every word. It had seemed like the beginnings of a friendship that Rowe obviously needed because he was new in town and had no friends or family. But now Dom was wondering if maybe Vince was actually right and he’d been too blind to recognise that look in Rowe’s eyes or the way he smiled at Brian or laughed at his stupid jokes. Maybe this was what he hadn’t been able to put his finger on since he’d first met him. 

And Dom got it. He truly did. Brian was fucking gorgeous and he was one of the best people that Dom had ever met. If someone had told him a few years ago that he’d end up falling in love with a man, he’d probably have punched them in the face. But then he’d met Brian and everything that Dom thought he knew had been turned on its head. Brian had drawn Dom in: he really was a magnet. 

Maybe that was how Rowe was feeling at the moment. And while Dom understood the attraction, he sure as shit wasn’t going to let him think he had any hope of drawing Brian’s attention. 

He felt his fist clench as he watched Rowe watching Brian. In the time that they’d been together, he hadn’t had any reason to feel any threat from anyone else: man or woman. Brian seemed to attract ‘looks’ pretty much everywhere he went and Dom was used to that and totally understood why. He got his fair share of attention too. Neither of them did the whole green-eyed monster thing. He’d witnessed plenty of that from Letty when they’d been together, but he and Brian hadn’t ever had issues like that. So far. Dom felt a flash of it now and it caught him a little by surprise. 

Anyone who’d flirted with Brian before hadn’t ever been on his radar. It was funny that Brian didn’t always even realise that people were practically drooling over him. He knew he was good looking but he wasn’t one of those cocky assholes who used it to his advantage. People flirted, Brian smiled how he always did, but he never looked twice. And he didn’t know those people and Dom had quickly figured out that Brian was all about making a connection with someone. They had connected almost immediately and it had been a feeling that neither of them had been able to sever even when everything fell apart around them and it should never have worked out between them. They’d still inexplicably been drawn together. 

But what made Dom’s fist clench at his side was the fact that Rowe wasn’t some random that Brian didn’t know: he was the opposite of that. He knew Brian, he was getting closer to him by the day, and Brian liked him. 

“See it now, don’t ya?” Vince asked from behind him. 

He wasn’t trying to be cruel and Dom knew that, but it still felt like a punch to the jaw because how had Vince seen what was so obviously there while Dom had missed it? Then again, it didn’t seem like Brian had noticed either. Brian seemed pretty oblivious to whatever little crush Rowe had. Or at least Dom thought he was anyway. 

“Yeah, I see it,” Dom ground out, refusing to take his eyes off Rowe. 

And then Brian straightened up and leant his hands on the front of the car. Dom could just about hear him talking about the issue with the alternator and he realised that he really had nothing to worry about. Even if Rowe was interested in Brian, that didn’t mean anything would happen. Rowe could admire Brian as much as he liked, but Dom trusted Brian: he knew he wouldn’t cheat on him. They’d worked too hard, come through too much shit to throw it all away over something like that. He knew that every night, Brian was in his bed. He felt his fist unclench. He didn’t need to start anything. He needed to keep his temper under control. Plus, it probably wouldn’t go down too well with Brian if Dom knocked his partner out because he thought the guy had a crush. Brian wouldn’t appreciate a single thing about that, and not only because Rowe was a police officer. 

Instead he stepped out of the office, grabbing a wrench from the top of one of the units as he went, and walked over to Rowe’s car. He stepped up beside Brian and reached up to lay his arm across his shoulders.

“How’s it going?” he asked casually. In his free hand, he spun the wrench around easily. 

“Hey, we’re getting there. Pretty sure it’s the alternator that needs fixing because we’re having trouble with some of the electrics, but then we should be about there,” Brian told him as he pointed at the offending machinery in the engine bay. 

“You’ve done a good job,” Dom told him and he genuinely meant it. “Although I have to say I’ll be glad to see the back of this rust bucket - it’s seriously cramping our style,” he directed at Rowe. And he meant ‘get this car out of here and don’t come back’. 

The other man offered him a tight smile and tried for a laugh but it seemed forced as far as Dom was concerned. 

Dom turned his attention back to Brian. He lowered his voice a little, but not enough that Rowe wouldn’t overhear. “Hey, you fancy take-out tonight? Movie and an early night?” he asked and loved the way Brian’s entire face seemed to light up at the suggestion and the obvious implication. 

“Sure. Sounds like a plan,” he replied brightly.

“You deserve it after you’ve given up your day off again,” Dom added. 

Brian just shrugged like it really didn’t bother him, and that was just it with Brian, he really didn’t mind helping everybody else out. 

Dom moved his hand across Brian’s shoulders and up to his neck. He gave it a gentle squeeze, letting his fingers card through his curls as he moved away, and he almost wanted to grin at the half turned-on, half soft loved-up look on Brian’s face. 

His eyes briefly drifted to Rowe who was standing watching the two of them. The smile was gone from his face and he stood awkwardly waiting for Brian to get back to the task at hand. 

Dom couldn’t help feeling like he’d made his point when Brian couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from him as he walked across the garage. 


	4. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s trouble ahead...

Dom heard the sound of the front door opening and then Brian calling out his greeting. 

Leaning around the kitchen doorframe, Dom echoed his ‘hey’, taking in Brian’s usual sweaty state after he’d been out for a run. 

“D’you want a drink?” Dom asked as Brian made his way through to the kitchen. He didn’t even wait for Brian to reply before he’d filled a glass of water and handed it to him. 

“Thanks,” Brian said before he took a long drink.

Dom opened the cupboard, taking out two plates and setting them on the counter. Their days off had lined up for the first time in weeks, so while Brian had been out for his morning run, Dom had been fixing them breakfast. 

“Good run?” Dom called out. 

Brian had wandered back through to the living room with his drink. “Yeah. Yeah, it was great, thanks.”

Brian sounded a little distracted so Dom stuck his head around the doorframe to see what he was doing. Brian had his head down as he quickly tapped away at his cellphone. 

“Everything alright?” Dom asked. 

“Hmm?” Brian glanced up at him. “Oh yeah. Sorry. I just had a message from Rowe. I bumped into him while I was out this morning so we ran some of the way together.”

Dom actually froze for a moment and he knew his mouth must have flapped open a little because Brian raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a bemused smile. 

“You ‘bumped into him’?” Dom finally echoed. 

There was no way that just happened, Dom thought to himself. Rowe just happened to be running at exactly the same time as Brian, in the exact same place, so they just happened to ‘bump into one another’. No fucking way. 

The confusion Brian obviously felt at the question was written all over his face as he stared back at Dom. 

“Yeah,” he said slowly. “Why?”

“Where were you running?” Dom asked, avoiding the question by asking his own. 

“Round by the lake,” Brian said. “My usual route.”

Dom was sure his teeth ground together and he wondered if Brian could see the way his jaw had clenched. 

“Bit of a fucking coincidence, isn’t it?” he grumbled, mostly to himself, as he turned around and stomped back into the kitchen. He wasn’t even sure if he intended for Brian to hear or not.

“What was that?” Brian asked as he walked in behind him. He was watching Dom closely like he could obviously tell there was something bubbling away beneath the surface, but hadn’t quite worked it out yet. He also looked like he wasn’t overly impressed by Dom’s reaction and Dom realised that maybe he wasn’t being entirely subtle about his annoyance. 

Dom shrugged. “Just that it was a lucky coincidence.”

Maybe he was being a little childish. He knew Brian would think he was being stupid, but hearing that Rowe had miraculously appeared to join Brian on his run had reminded Dom about what Vince had pointed out to him at the garage a few weeks ago. 

Brian hadn’t really mentioned Rowe all that much since he’d been at the garage, apart from talking about jobs they’d been on whilst they’d been on shift together, so Dom had kind of pushed him out of his mind. After they’d finished the work on the car (which had only taken a couple of hours), Rowe hadn’t been back to the garage and it had been pretty easy for Dom to stop thinking about him. Sure, he worked with Brian, but there had been no mention of any sort of socialising or anything outside of their working day. Dom had pushed Rowe - and the twinge of possessiveness his presence had ignited in him - to the back of his mind. 

But now the guy had conveniently bumped into Brian on his regular running route and it irritated Dom more than he cared to admit. 

“What’s up with you?” Brian asked. He was still watching him closely.

Dom just looked at him blankly. 

Tilting his head to the side a little, Brian gave him a knowing look. 

“Bullshit,” he said simply. “Something’s bugging you.”

Dom ignored him and busied himself with the eggs. 

“Come on, man,” Brian continued and he clearly wasn’t going to let it go. He sighed. “Is it something to do with Rowe?”

Dom’s head snapped up and if Brian hadn’t already been spot on, he’d have figured it out by the reaction. 

“You don’t like him,” Brian stated.

Dom didn’t really know how to reply to that. He wasn’t exactly a fan of the guy, thought he seemed a bit weird, certainly wasn’t impressed that he had some sort of crush on his boyfriend but, despite that, he was Brian’s partner. 

“I don’t need to like him,” Dom replied after a long moment. “He’s your partner.”

Brian frowned. “I kind of picked up on a bit of a weird vibe at the garage.”

That surprised Dom. He’d thought he’d been pretty careful with the way he’d interacted with Rowe and besides, despite thinking he was a bit odd right from the get-go, he’d hadn’t really paid him that much attention until Vince had pointed out what had been right in front of Dom all along. 

“If I really didn’t like him, I wouldn’t have let him work on his car at my garage,” Dom argued. 

Brian gave him a small smile. “You did that as a favour to me.”

Dom grunted: he couldn’t deny that. And anyway, he didn’t know why he was trying to pretend like he wasn’t bothered by Rowe. Maybe it was his pride. Maybe he didn’t want Brian to know that he was actually a little jealous. 

“Why don’t you like him?” Brian asked and Dom blew out a frustrated breath. Brian was like a dog with a bone sometimes. 

“I told you, it doesn’t matter if I like him or not.”

That didn’t seem to satisfy Brian, who just stared at him intently. 

“Well, I hope you mean that because we said we might start running together more often. I don’t want that to be a problem for you,” Brian said.

Dom felt himself bristle a little at the words. Fucking great, now they were going to be spending even more time together. He didn’t say anything, just turned back to the stove and stared down at the eggs like they’d personally offended him. 

Then he felt Brian step up behind him and lean his body against his back, his hands on Dom’s shoulders. 

“No-one does brooding quite like you,” he said and Dom could tell he was trying to get a reaction out of him. 

“And no-one does smartass quite like you,” he replied.

Brian chuckled, the low vibration tinglingagainst his back. 

“You know, it doesn’t matter if I go running with someone else. I always run back here,” Brian told him.

His words struck a chord with Dom. For a moment, he wondered how Brian had managed to read him so easily, see the silly jealousy that Dom was refusing to accept, but then he thought about the words and how true they were. They’d both done their share of running and somehow ended up back in the same place. 

He turned slowly and faced Brian, his eyes roaming over his features. 

Suddenly, Brian grinned at him. 

“Do you want to pee on me?” He asked in a teasing tone. “You know, mark your territory?”

Dom grunted and tried not to let his serious expression falter. “Didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”

Brian laughed and shoved him playfully in the shoulder, and the tension seemed to dissipate as he stepped out of Dom’s space.

“Anyway, I thought you’d be pleased that I had someone else to run with so I didn’t ask you to join me again,” Brian said as he leant back against the kitchen counter. 

“Hey, I can run,” Dom protested. 

“Yeah, from the cops!” Brian agreed with a bright laugh. 

Dom couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips. 

No-one had ever had such an effect on him. No-one infuriated him in one moment and made him laugh so hard in the next. 

Brian stepped a little closer and reached around Dom, grabbing a piece of bacon out of the pan and biting into it. 

“So, if you’re done sulking, I’m heading up for a shower. If you wanna join me,” he said casually after he’d swallowed it. 

“Breakfast?” Dom said as waved his hand over the eggs and the rest of the bacon that was still sitting in the pan waiting. He didn’t actually want to choose breakfast over shower sex, but he thought he’d make the valid point that he’d prepared their food already. 

“I can’t see anything that won’t wait,” Brian said as he scanned the breakfast food. Then he looked back at Dom and shrugged, before reaching down and yanking his sweaty t-shirt over his head. “I, on the other hand, definitely cannot wait,” he added as he ran his hair through his messed up hair. 

He walked around Dom and headed out of the kitchen. 

***

As had become the norm, Brian was waiting in the patrol car while Rowe had gone into the diner to get their coffees. 

They’d had a decent couple of shifts: nothing too dramatic had happened; no unexpected overtime added on at the end of an already long shift; and Rowe had been his usual self. 

Because Brian was paying more attention these days. He’d been looking for whatever it was that Dom thought he’d seen. Dom hadn’t said it in so many words, but he clearly had some crazy idea that Rowe had a crush on Brian or something, and it was obviously making Dom jealous. He’d never admit it, but Brian knew him well enough to recognise the shift in him whenever Rowe was mentioned. 

So, of course Dom’s jealousy had made Brian think and wonder if there was any actual reason for him to be behaving that way. He’d tried to see whatever Dom thought he’d seen in Rowe, but so far he hadn’t noticed anything that told him that Rowe liked him as anything more than his partner and friend. 

Dom’s weird reaction to finding out about his run with Rowe had come completely out of theblue as far as Brian was concerned. He’d noticed that Dom had become kind of icy towards Rowe on the last couple of days that they’d been at the garage working on the car, but he hadn’t realised what was driving Dom’s apparent dislike. It hadn’t been until Dom had started grumbling under his breath about Brian’s run with Rowe that he’d put two and two together. It wasn’t something that he’d ever expected to experience from Dom, but he was definitely pissed about Brian spending more time with his partner and the only possible reason was because he was jealous. 

And Brian wasn’t an idiot: he was pretty sure it hadn’t just been pure coincidence that had led Rowe to be running at the same time and place as him, but he felt bad for the guy. He was clearly lonely and was trying to make new friends in a new city. 

And besides, it was kind of hot having Dom get jealous. Dom had certainly let his possessive side shine through when they’d headed upstairs to the shower on the morning when he’d come home from his run to find a grumpy Dom in the kitchen, and again that night when they’d gone to bed, and that wonderful ache deep inside every time he’d moved the next day had reminded Brian of Dom’s intense desire to reinforce who he came home to. He definitely wasn’t complaining. 

For the last couple of days, Brian had been subtly trying to gauge whether Dom had any reason to suspect that Rowe had ulterior motives for getting close to him and so far he’d found nothing. He didn’t even know if Rowe was into guys and Brian sure as hell wasn’t going to blurt it out and ask him. And even if he was, and even if he did have a thing for Brian, it didn’t mean Dom had any reason to worry. Nothing would happen even if Rowe had a crush on Brian because the attraction (if there was one) wasn’t reciprocated. Rowe was a nice enough guy, he wasn’t horrible to look at or anything, but he wasn’t Brian’s type. Brian seemed to have a thing for grumpy bald guys and just thinking that made him smile to himself. 

As Rowe made his way back to the car, coffees in hand, Brian decided to forget all about it. The whole thing was stupid and Dom would have to get over it. Brian knew he would eventually. 

He wasn’t going to stop mentioning Rowe - it would be kind of hard to talk about his day without saying his partner’s name - and he hoped it would reinforce to Dom that their relationship was purely professional. And he kind of thought it would be pretty harsh to tell Rowe he couldn’t see him outside of work just because Dom didn’t like it. The guy was crying out for a friend and Brian couldn’t turn him away now. If he wanted to meet Rowe for a run, or anything else for that matter, Dom would have to deal. 

***

Brian thought he might be sick. Not because he’d never seen a dead body before, but because he felt like he could have stopped this from happening and he hadn’t. There was no way to describe the jumbled feelings rushing through him: anger, guilt, pain, _failure_. 

“Are you alright, O’Conner?” Rowe asked from beside him as he placed his hand on Brian’s shoulder.

Brian nodded once numbly. He didn’t know whether he should go outside and get some fresh air or stay inside and face what had happened. 

It had only been an hour until the end of their shift when the call had come in. 

“Domestic incident, 1487 Firmin Street,” had come over the radio and Brian had glanced at Rowe as he’d hurriedly picked up the mic to respond. 

“Shannon’s place,” Brian had said simply as he’d slammed the car into gear and pulled away from the curb, blue lights and sirens flashing. They were on the wrong side of town, but Shannon knew Brian, trusted him, and he wanted to check in on her because clearly her husband was up to his usual shit. 

By the time they’d arrived, there had been another unit on the scene and, as Brian and Rowe had climbed out of their car, an officer had been dragging a raging Mr Miller out of the house, cuffed and screaming about how he needed to see his wife. The officer had given a slight shake of his head as he’d passed Brian and Rowe, and something about the look on his face had sent a shiver of dread through Brian. He’d rushed up the steps and into the house, rounded the corner into the kitchen and there he’d found Shannon, only she hadn’t been trying to hide any bruises and she hadn’t offered Brian that weak smile that she always did because she was pretending she was fine. She hadn’t done that because she’d been lying on the cold tiles with a pool of blood around her head, her eyes wide open and unseeing. 

There were marks around her neck and bruises on her bare arms. And so much blood around her broken skull. Brian had stared in stunned horror. The bastard had killed her. 

He’d almost turned around, marched back out of the front door and down to the patrol car. He’d been so tempted to just go out there, drag that son of a bitch out of the car and kick the shit out of him, maybe even kill him. He’d felt his fists clench, felt himself shaking with fury and shock and the need to do something because he’d clearly not done enough. 

And then he’d felt Rowe’s hand on his shoulder. 

He nodded once in response to Rowe’s question and then he blinked and it was like he was pulled out of the horrific trance he’d slipped into when he’d seen Shannon’s body on the floor. 

“What happened?” he asked the other officer who had already been on the scene. He was pretty sure he already knew - could almost picture it perfectly - but he had to ask. 

“Neighbours called it in,” she replied. “They heard him yelling and the wife screaming. By the time we got here, he was shaking her, trying to wake her up. Kept saying she’d slipped and he didn’t do anything.” She shook her head sadly. “Poor thing,” she added as she looked down at Shannon. “Looks like she’s been his punching bag for quite a while.”

Brian swallowed thickly as he stared back down at the young woman whose whole married life had been spent living in fear. He wondered if Shannon had known that one day her husband would kill her.

“I’ve called it in to homicide,” the female officer told them. “You can head out if you want. Nothing we can do for her now.”

“No,” Brian immediately argued. “No, I’d rather we stayed.”

It was the least he could do. He couldn’t help her anymore - ‘maybe I never did,’ he thought to himself miserably - but he would stay here to make sure she was treated right and to make sure that the bastard who had destroyed her life got what was coming to him. 

He looked up at Rowe to check if he was alright. He was pretty sure that Rowe hadn’t ever seen the victim of a murder before and it was always shocking even when you had experience of such things, but his partner seemed calm as he met Brian’s eyes and smiled sympathetically at him. Just over six months on the job and Rowe was the one who was supporting Brian. He gave him a nod in thanks: Rowe clearly understood how Brian felt about this; understood that it felt almost personal because of how many times he’d interacted with Shannon. 

He drew in a deep breath as he looked down at Shannon once more. ‘I’m sorry,’ he silently told her. Then he beckoned for Rowe to follow him back outside. He wanted to speak to the neighbours so they could gather as much evidence against Mr Miller as possible. It was all he could do to help.

***

When Brian got home, it was dark. By the time they’d finished up at the Miller’s house, they’d worked well over an hour beyond the end of their shift. 

While they’d been there, Brian had suggested to Rowe that he head home: he didn’t expect his partner to hang around for longer than was necessary just because he didn’t want to leave until things had been dealt with properly. But Rowe had just shaken his head and told Brian he’d stay at the house with him, and Brian had been privately relieved. The other cops at the house weren’t any friendlier to Brian just because they were at the scene of a horrible domestic violence incident, and Brian was grateful for having at least one person there who understood why this mattered to him. 

When the scene had been processed and Shannon’s body had been loaded into the private ambulance to be taken to the morgue, there had been nothing left for Brian and Rowe to do at the house. 

They’d silently climbed back into their patrol car and neither of them had made any attempt to move or talk for a couple of minutes. Then, mostly on autopilot, Brian had driven them back to the precinct. 

When they’d got changed and finished up inside, they’d walked back into the parking lot downstairs and headed over to their cars. 

Rowe had hesitated when they’d got there.

“D’you want to...I don’t know...do you want to go get a drink somewhere?” he’d asked quietly.

The thing Brian had wanted most in that moment was to go home, but when he’d looked at Rowe he’d felt bad for him. He knew what it was like to go home to an empty apartment after a shitty day at work. He knew what it was like to have no-one to talk to about what had happened. He knew what it was like to sit and obsess about what you should have done differently and have no-one to distract you or pull you out of your dark thoughts. 

And, he’d decided that maybe it would be good for him too. It had been a long time since he’d had someone to talk to who did the same job as him: someone who really understood what it was like or who had experienced the same things as he had. 

With a crooked smile and a tiny nod, he’d agreed to join Rowe for a drink so that they could decompress after their shift. 

“You’re late,” Dom remarked as Brian walked into the living room. 

He was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV with a bottle of Corona in his hand. He didn’t look up at Brian. 

“Yeah, sorry,” Brian replied. “Had a crappy day.” He toed his shoes off by the door and stepped further into the living room. 

“Where’ve you been?” Dom asked. 

He looked up at Brian then and his eyes were hard, like he was pissed off about something.

Leaning back against the wall, Brian folded his arms across his chest. He didn’t care if it looked like he was being defensive - he felt like it. Something about the way Dom had ‘welcomed’ him home had already set him on edge. He’d only just walked through the door, he was still reeling from their last job, and Dom was apparently being an ass. He wasn’t in the mood for it. 

“We had a late call just before our shift ended. It was a rough one and we had to stay on to deal with it. Then I went for a drink with Rowe.” 

He knew it was probably going to piss Dom off, but he wasn’t going to lie about where he’d been. He didn’t need to. He had nothing to hide and, even if Dom didn’t like Rowe, he should trust Brian. 

Dom drew in a breath and his face twitched minutely. 

“I didn’t know where you were,” he said bluntly. “You’re a couple of hours late home and I had no idea why.” 

He was still sitting on the couch, but he’d leaned forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. His face looked almost blank, but Brian knew him too well: he could see the irritation in his expression as clear as day and he hadn’t missed the tiny reaction he’d shown when he’d mentioned Rowe’s name. Dom might be a master of being Mr Cool in front of the crowd at a race, or when he was in charge at the garage, or when he was in any sort of danger, but Brian knew him far better. 

And he did feel bad about not ringing Dom to let him know what was going on. He hadn’t planned it: he hadn’t really given it a thought. He knew that was a pretty crappy thing to do and he knew that Dom, despite his tough act, would have been concerned that something had happened to him at work.

It was on the tip of his tongue to apologise - explain to Dom about the awful day he’d had and why he’d gone for a drink with Rowe and why, in everything that had gone on, he’d forgotten to contact him with an update - but Dom pushed himself up from the couch and spoke before he got chance.

“So you went for a drink with him and just didn’t think to let me know?” he asked, his tone hard and there was the slightest inflection on the word ‘him’ that Brian picked up on immediately. 

Seriously? Was Dom actually going to be pissy about Brian spending time with his partner after what they’d dealt with? He was actually going to let this stupid jealousy thing be what he focused on? 

He stared at Dom for a moment. His whole posture screamed annoyance; he looked like he was spoiling for a fight. Arms folded across his chest, face stern and eyes glittering and hard. 

But Brian was pissed off too. If he’d been feeling crap before, Dom was making it worse. 

“Look, whatever this thing is that you have against Rowe, you’ve got to get over it,” he said bluntly. 

He’d had enough of pussy footing around, trying to soothe Dom’s misplaced jealousy and laugh it off with jokes and innuendo. Dom’s nostrils flared slightly and Brian pressed on. 

“He’s my partner and, whether you like it or not, he’s my friend. I needed to go out tonight...just to have some time to get my head straight before I came back here. And he needed that too. It’s what partners do sometimes. You know my job’s not exactly nine to five.”

“Don’t patronise me,” Dom ground out. “I’m not some little wifey sitting at home waiting for you to roll in.”

“I’m well aware of that. But, that’s not really the issue, is it?”

Dom just glared at him but he didn’t speak. 

“If I was late back and it was just work, this conversation would be over by now. But this isn’t about that.”

Dom grunted and walked away. He headed into the kitchen and Brian followed him. He didn’t want to let this go. 

Dom would never admit that he was jealous and Brian knew, that if he kept pushing this, they were edging towards a full-blown bust-up, but he couldn’t walk away; something in him made him want to keep poking at the problem. Maybe it was the fact that he’d had a really shitty day and Dom had somehow managed to make it worse, but he felt like he was itching for a fight just like Dom had been when he’d walked in. 

When Brian walked into the kitchen, Dom had his back to him as he stood at the open fridge. 

“You can’t stand the fact that I’ve got a friend outside of your circle, can you?” Brian asked. “You don’t have control of that so it pisses you off.”

Dom slammed the fridge door shut and spun around to face him.

“Are you listening to yourself?” Dom replied. “You’re talking bullshit.”

Brian shook his head. 

“Nah, all my friends are your friends. We hang out with people you know and they’ve had to accept me because I’m with you. And that’s the sum total of my social life. It’s not like I’ve got loads of buddies down at the precinct, is it?”

“Not trying to blame me for that, are you?” Dom threw back at him. 

Brian just shrugged and he knew it would irritate Dom. Brian’s difficulties at the LAPD always seemed to ignite tension between them: both of them feeling the strain of the damage that Brian’s past actions had had on his career. 

Huffing out a breath, Dom twisted the lid off the top of his beer and brushed past Brian as he walked out of the kitchen again. 

And again, Brian followed him. He wasn’t good at backing down from a fight. Neither was Dom. 

“You know, I feel like it’s alright for you to pick up strays from all over the neighbourhood, have them hanging off your every word, but I can’t have any of my own friends because you don’t like it.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dom told him. His voice was that low dangerous growl that was a warning to stop, but Brian couldn’t now that he was on this path. He needed to work out some frustration and, with them, that meant either fighting or fucking. Seeing as Dom had been a dick since he’d walked through the door, fighting would have to do. 

“No, man. I know exactly what I’m talking about. Do you want me to run it by you every time I talk to someone new?” Brian asked snidely. 

“Don’t be an ass,” Dom replied. 

Brian laughed bitterly. “Okay, so if I’m being an ass and you don’t have an issue, I’m wondering why you’ve got such a problem with me spending time with Rowe.”

Dom glared at him steadily. His arms were across his chest again.

“Because this isn’t the first time you’ve been like this.” Brian continued when Dom didn’t speak. “You didn’t like Rome when you first met him when you came out to Miami.” 

It had been laughable really: Dom had taken an immediate dislike to Rome and it had taken days for Brian to figure out that it was because he thought that Brian was sleeping with his friend. The mere suggestion had sent Rome into hysterical laughter mixed with mild revulsion because in his words, Brian was ‘pretty for a dude, but fuck no’. 

And Dom had stuttered and struggled over trying to defend his jealousy before Brian had practically pounced on him and all thoughts of other people getting in their way had disappeared. It had been a catalyst then for them actually pulling their fingers out, getting over themselves and just accepting what they both so desperately wanted. 

And, with that thought, suddenly everything became crystal clear. Dom was jealous, but not because Brian had a new friend, or even because he thought that Rowe had a crush on him. He was jealous because he thought there was actually something going on between him and Rowe. 

“Are you kidding me?” he asked angrily, momentarily forgetting that Dom didn’t know what he was talking about. “You actually think there’s something going on between me and Rowe? You think I’m fucking him on the side?”

Brian had taken a step closer to Dom and was angrily jabbing his finger between them. He was fuming. One drink with his partner and Dom thought the worst of him. 

It was obvious that Dom could tell how angry he was. He seemed to puff up his own chest because he wasn’t backing down.

“I don’t know,” he said. “What am I supposed to think? The guy stares at you like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen, follows you round like a puppy. Then you’re ‘bumping into him’ and going for drinks.”

“So you think I’ve been lying to you?” Brian accused.

“I don’t trust him,” Dom replied immediately. 

“You should trust _me_ ,” Brian shouted in reply. He was so angry that Dom was making this such a problem. He was furious that he had to defend himself when he’d done nothing wrong, and neither had Rowe. “You’ve got no reason to be acting like this.”

Dom lifted his eyebrow and Brian felt a surge of irritation rush through him. In an argument, Dom was either yelling and threatening to explode or putting on the calm, cold and calculating front, and Brian was pretty sure it was the latter which wound him up more.

“Do you know what?” Brian said, his voice dropping to a lower level and he hoped that Dom took it as his own warning of how pissed off he felt. “You’re a fucking hypocrite. You don’t trust me to spend time with someone else, but I have to just accept that you’re hanging around with Letty, working with her every day.”

Dom’s eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. “Don’t bring her into this,” he ground out. 

“No, because it’s one rule for you and one for everyone else, right?” Brian continued. “I’ve never said a word about you and her, never questioned that there might be something going on, because you and her have a hell of a lot of history, but I trust you not to do that.”

“I gave up anything with Letty because of you,” Dom replied angrily. 

Letting out a bitter laugh, Brian threw his hands into the air mockingly. “Of course! That’s right. You sacrificed so much to be with me. I mean, let’s not forget all the bimbos pawing at you at races. Oh wait, that still happens, doesn’t it? Because god forbid, anyone would think the great Dominic Toretto was a total fag who didn’t like pussy anymore and only enjoyed taking it up the ass.”

“Fuck you, O’Conner. What the hell is wrong with you?” Dom yelled. He’d stepped forward: his eyes flashing angrily, his body tightly wound. 

“Maybe something to do with you accusing me of cheating on you,” Brian replied. “Do you seriously think I’d do that? That I’d lie to you and betray you like that?”

Dom blew out a harsh breath. 

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

The words dropped into the space between them like a stone and silence followed them. The heated argument of moments before seemed to dissipate into something much colder.

Dom actually looked a little shocked at himself. And Brian felt like he’d been punched in the gut. His mouth flapped open and he was oddly silent for a long few moments as he tried to think of something to say. 

He’d goaded Dom into a full-on blazing argument, but he hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t expected to hear that Dom still harboured such resentment about how they’d met, about how Brian had lied to him. And it hurt; more than he thought it would. The fury of their argument left him suddenly and he felt a little bit like the strength he’d held onto to keep him going all day had gone with it. 

“Wow,” he eventually breathed out. “Wow, Dom. That’s a seriously low-blow, man. I didn’t think you’d throw that in my face after...after everything.”

Dom blinked and shook his head slightly. 

“I need to get out of here. I need some space,” he finally said. 

He stalked towards the door, ripping it open with such force it seemed to shudder in the frame. 

Brian stared at the door for a long time after Dom had disappeared out of it. He stayed rooted to the spot even after he heard the roar of the engine signalling Dom’s hasty, angry departure. 

And then he slumped against the arm of the couch. Hardly able to wrap his mind around what had actually just happened, he needed a moment to gather his thoughts and his composure. 

He’d known they were going to come to blows - not the physical kind, but the kind that left them feeling battered and bruised just the same - but he hadn’t expected it to go so far. Or maybe he just hadn’t wanted to believe that Dom still held such anger and was willing to use it against him. Had Dom been holding onto that for all this time? Keeping it hidden inside? Waiting for the moment when he could throw it back in his face in anger? He didn’t really think that Dom was that spiteful, that petty. Or maybe he didn’t know him as well as he thought he did. 

Brian paced around downstairs for a while, slamming things into cupboards in the kitchen and stomping outside to throw the trash out. He was half-tempted to go out himself - tear around in his car, work out his frustration that way. But he knew it was a stupid idea. He was likely to get himself into trouble and if he crossed paths with Dom while he was out, he wasn’t sure things would end well. Eventually, he went up to bed. As he lay there, he realised that Dom hadn’t even asked him what had happened that had made him go to the bar with Rowe in the first place. Brian had told him he’d had a rough shift and Dom hadn’t even bothered to ask why or check if he was alright. That just made everything seem so much worse. 


	5. 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The amazing feedback on chapter 4 really motivated me and got me writing the next chapter so here we are! Thank you so much for the feedback! 
> 
> If you’re a fan of angst (which chapter 4 was full of!) never fear, there’s plenty more where that came from still to come in this story.

Brian had slept the sleep of the angry: fitful and disturbed. 

Clearly not managing a deep sleep, he’d woken up when he’d heard Dom come through the front door - some time in the early hours - and then pretended to be asleep when he’d climbed into bed beside him. He’d known that Dom wouldn’t be fooled, but he’d refused to be the one rolling over and playing nice. 

He’d listened as Dom had paused in the doorway to their bedroom, and he’d felt Dom’s eyes on his back as he lay turned away from him, but he’d refused to acknowledge his presence. He’d half-wondered if Dom would even get into bed with him, but then, after a few moments hesitation, he’d heard the rustling of clothes being removed, a quick visit to the bathroom, and then the dip of the bed as Dom had climbed in behind him. Dom hadn’t said a word the whole time. 

If Dom had reached out for him, like he had so many times before, Brian had been sure he’d punch him in the face he was so tense. He’d lain completely still and only relaxed when Dom had sighed and rolled onto his side to face the opposite wall. 

Brian had got up and out of bed early. There had been no point lying there anymore: staring at the wall, going over their argument, getting more and more wound up by the sound of Dom’s deep breathing behind him. 

He’d been tempted to get up and make as much noise as possible in the process of getting ready for his day, but he’d given up on that petty idea almost immediately. It was stupid, and he’d realised that he didn’t actually want Dom to wake up. He’d not wanted to face another argument before he had to go to work and he hadn’t wanted to pretend that everything was alright either. 

He’d slipped out of the house before there had been any sign of Dom waking up and he’d decided that that had been for the best. He’d set off for work but not been overly keen on the idea of having to hang around in the break room until his shift started, so stopped off at the lake for a walk on his way in. 

He’d gone over the argument in his head every time he’d been lying awake in the night, and he did the same as he walked around the lake. 

They were both in the wrong last night. He’d messed up by not ringing Dom to explain where he was, and he’d used his frustration and shock over Shannon’s death as an excuse to push at Dom until he’d inevitably snapped. He’d wanted an argument; he’d _needed_ it to allow him to vent his anger and hurt and feelings of failure. And he’d known that Dom would oblige when he’d pressed all the right buttons. 

Sometimes he wondered at his coping mechanisms. He’d been able to see the anger building in Dom and he’d stoked the fire, poking at him until he’d nearly erupted. He was ashamed to admit it to himself, but he’d almost wanted Dom to hit him. He didn’t know whether he felt like he deserved it, or whether it would have given him an excuse to hit him back and release some of the coiled up rage inside him, or whether he’d just wanted to feel something else for a second. And he knew that none of that was fair to Dom. Dom would have felt terrible the moment he’d lashed out and Brian didn’t really want to make him feel that guilt, even if it made him feel better for a split second. Dom walking out last night had been the best thing he could have done and Brian was sure that he knew that too. 

But Dom had been in the wrong too. He’d been too quick to assume the worst of Brian. Too quick to assume that just because Rowe supposedly had a thing for him, Brian was going to encourage him and act on it. It pissed Brian off that Dom didn’t seem to know how he felt about him. He loved him - it had taken a while for him to accept it and realise that that was what the mess in his head meant, but it was the truth and nothing had ever made more sense to Brian once the pieces had fallen into place. Did Dom really think that he’d give that up so easily just for a quick fuck with a guy he’d known for a few months? 

And then there had been Dom’s killer blow. The words that had stopped Brian in his tracks and cut a lot deeper than anything else he’d been expecting to come from his mouth. 

Dom’s anger-fuelled confession that he expected Brian to betray him because he’d done it before. He had form. He was a _liar_. And Dom couldn’t really trust him. 

Of course, he hadn’t said that in as many words, but Brian could read between the lines. Deep down, Dom was still holding on to Brian’s betrayal and it led him to doubt him: even now, even after what Brian had done for Dom and his team. 

After they’d found one another again, they’d talked about what had happened, and Brian had thought that they were on the same page. He’d thought that Dom had maybe not completely understood his actions but forgiven him for lying to them. He’d thought that saving Vince and letting Dom go had been enough. Obviously he was wrong because didn’t the truth always come tumbling out in the heat of the moment.

He wondered how long Dom had been holding on to that anger. He wondered if he always would. He wondered if they could ever get past it. 

And it made him angry with Dom all over again because if he felt like that, why the hell had he started any of this with Brian? Why would he want to be with him in the first place if he couldn’t trust him right from the word go? 

His frustration and anger weren’t receding as he walked in the morning sunshine, so he headed back to his car to get to work. He hoped that a busy day would take his mind off the mess they’d made last night. 

***

His shift had started quietly and he hadn’t even been able to muster the energy to chat with Rowe like he normally would. He should have realised that work wouldn’t be enough to help him sort his shit out and he’d known he was off his game when they’d attended a fender bender, fairly standard during the morning commute, and got snappy with the bitchy woman whose car had been dinged. Rowe had practically forced him out of the way so he could deal with her and Brian could go speak to the other driver, and as soon as they’d got back into their patrol car, Rowe had looked over at him in concern. 

“Hey, you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Brian replied gruffly. He knew he wasn’t himself. Lack of sleep and his argument with Dom running on a loop in his head was definitely affecting him. 

Rowe frowned and looked at him carefully. “Are you sure? You look...you look exhausted. Maybe you should take the day off if you’re sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Brian replied, and the last thing he wanted was to go home for the day. He needed work to keep him busy. He wasn’t going home to mope or, god forbid, run into Dom. 

“Is this about yesterday?” Rowe asked quietly, and Brian turned to face him immediately, wondering how Rowe could possibly know about what had gone on between him and Dom. 

Before he could speak, Rowe continued. 

“About what happened at the Miller’s?”

Sighing heavily, Brian ran his hand through his hair. Here he was, being a complete ass about his relationship woes, when a woman he was supposed to have helped had been killed by her own husband the day before. His problems seemed pretty insignificant in comparison, but he supposed everything was relative. 

He glanced over at Rowe again as he leant his head back against his seat. 

“Yeah,” he admitted, because it was about that really. What had happened to Shannon had been the catalyst for the huge blow-up between him and Dom. “I just...I feel so shit about what happened. I didn’t do enough.”

“Hey,” Rowe immediately argued as he shook his head. “You couldn’t have known that that scum bag was going to kill her.”

Brian turned his head away to stare out of the driver’s window. He had known - or at least he’d been worried that might happen - and, deep down, Shannon had probably known too and that was why he’d been so keen for her to get help. It just hadn’t been enough. 

“Is that all that’s bothering you?” Rowe asked. “You don’t seem yourself today.”

Rowe was obviously concerned and Brian was grateful for that. Wasn’t that what friends did for one another? They looked out for one another. 

He wondered if he should tell Rowe about what had happened when he got home last night. Maybe talking to someone else would help. Maybe Rowe would help him see things more clearly. 

He could just imagine how Dom would react if he found out that he’d been talking to Rowe, of all people, about their problems. He’d hit the fucking roof, but why shouldn’t he have someone to talk to? Dom was probably at the garage slamming stuff around and Vince or Leon would eventually get him to sit down with a Corona and spill whatever was making him stomp around like a bear with a sore head. He’d probably tell them all about what Brian had done to piss him off and they’d agree that Dom was right not to trust him, because of course they’d be on his side because they were Dom’s friends before his. And wasn’t that part of the problem? Brian didn’t have anyone to bitch and moan to and it seemed like Dom didn’t want him to have that with anyone either. 

“Me and Dom had words last night,” he said and he didn’t even realise he’d made the decision to start talking.

“Oh,” Rowe said, like he didn’t know how to react. 

“Sorry,” Brian said as he shook his head. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear about it.”

“No, no. It’s fine,” Rowe reassured him. “Was it something to do with yesterday? Because you were late back?” 

Brian blinked at him and wondered how Rowe could be so perceptive. 

“Yeah. He was pissed as soon as I walked through the door - didn’t even really give me chance to explain what had happened. And I guess I was wound up and ready for a fight after dealing with everything at Shannon’s.” He sighed heavily again and stared out of the windshield. “It got pretty nasty.”

He could feel Rowe watching him closely and he suddenly wondered why he’d said so much. He wasn’t usually one for talking about emotions and stuff like that. 

“Are you going back there after shift?” Rowe asked and that made Brian look over at him and frown. 

It was a strange thing to say - almost like Rowe thought that one argument meant they were over. Of course he was going back - it was his home. Dom was there. And whatever else had gone on, they needed to work this out.

“Um, yeah,” he said. “We need to talk. Look, uh, I shouldn’t have said anything. Think it’s just been a rough couple of days.” He forced a smile onto his face. “Let’s go get some coffee - that’ll sort me out.” 

Rowe offered him a smile in return. “Sure. Don’t worry - I won’t say anything about any of this to anyone. You can trust me. And if you ever need a break, you know where I am.”

“Thanks, man,” Brian replied. 

It was good to have at least one person on his side.

***

Dom had spent the last couple of weeks living in a weird sort of limbo. 

After their massive argument, that had blown up far beyond what either of them had expected, they just hadn’t talked about it. It was extremely odd and didn’t sit right with Dom. 

He’d slammed out of the house that night in desperate need of space and a way to vent his annoyance at Brian for needling him so much that he’d snapped like he had. He’d internally flinched as soon as the words had left his mouth: ‘it wouldn’t be the first time’ he’d said when Brian had asked him if he really thought that he’d betray him, and he hated that he’d used that against Brian. It hadn’t been fair - as Brian had said, it was a low-blow - and the look that had flashed across Brian’s face as he’d heard the words had been enough to make shame flood through Dom. 

Inflicting pain with his fists was more his style and whoever was on the receiving end was usually deserving of an ass-kicking. But strangely, he felt like he’d done more damage with a few spiteful words than he would have done if he’d outright punched Brian. Not that he ever would. That was partly why he’d walked out and got in his car that night - that and the need to clear his head before he said something else unforgivably stupid. 

No-one had ever got under his skin like Brian - practically from the moment they’d met. And that was part of the problem. At the same time as Brian drove him crazy in the best possible ways, he also made him furious and wound him up and challenged him like no-one else. And Dom inevitably pushed back: sometimes too hard. 

Sure, he’d been friends with Vince his whole life, and no-one could throw a tantrum like his best friend, but Dom had never had to chase Vince: he’d soon realised that Vince would come back all by himself, tail between his legs, seeking Dom out. 

Leon was so totally laid back he was practically horizontal. He went with the flow, agreeing to Dom’s suggestions and plans easily, maybe raising an eyebrow here and there, but never kicking off, even when things went to shit. Even when he should’ve done. 

Mia would scream and shout at Dom in a way that only his little sister could get away with. She’d call him every name under the sun to make him listen, but Dom had always done what he’d wanted, whether she’d yelled at him or not. In fact, he was more afraid of her reaction when she was quiet. After all, she knew how to really hurt her brother if she wanted to - not that she ever used it - but one mention of their father would bring Dom to his knees. He suspected that Mia was holding onto that Ace for a time when she really, really needed it - like when Dom was about to get himself killed with his own rash stupidity. Part of him was amazed she hadn’t brought the big guns out already, and didn’t that speak volumes about his life choices?

And then there had been Letty. She gave him a run for his money. She was tough and took no shit, put him in his place more than once while they were together. They were explosive together, and if Brian had accused Dom of being jealous, he was sure he had nothing on Letty. Or maybe that was where he’d picked up his bad habits from. And while he’d loved Letty - because he really had - theirs wasn’t a fire that could burn forever. It was hot and scorching and was always going to end in one of them getting too badly burned. 

But Brian was the one: the one who made Dom feel like he was flying down an open road in the Charger because, like he’d told Brian once, driving that machine scared him, and that was a lot like the feeling he got loving Brian. Not that he was scared of him, or scared to be with him, but he was scared by how much he felt for him. It was truly terrifying at times: Brian was the one who pushed Dom to the edge and then always pulled him back. It was its own kind of wild ride.

Dom would do anything for Brian: would give up everything for him; would lose control for him. And he knew what happened when he lost control. People got hurt. And Dom didn’t want it to be Brian that got harmed in the fallout,and maybe it was selfish or cowardly, but he didn’t want it to be himself either. He was the tough guy - the strong, take-no-shit leader of the team - but Brian had the power to break him. 

The days since their awful argument had been torturous. 

Dom had returned to the house in the early hours after thrashing his car around the streets until he’d finally got it out of his system and driven down to the beach to just sit and watch the ocean for a while. 

When he’d felt calmer, he’d driven home and quietly let himself in. When he’d made his way up to their bedroom, he’d hesitated in the doorway for a moment. Brian had been turned away from where he stood and he just let himself take in the sight of him. He loved him and he’d wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and tell him that, but he hadn’t. Maybe he’d lost his nerve: the fearless Dominic Toretto, too much of a pussy to say three words. It wasn’t like he hadn’t said them before: Brian knew how he felt about him - or at least he hoped he did. He’d silently scoffed at himself and then turned away from Brian. 

The following morning, Brian had been up and gone long before Dom had woken up. He’d wondered if that was his punishment, but when Brian had returned from his shift later that day, he’d realised that worse was yet to come. Because Brian just didn’t want to talk about what had happened - at all. Or at least that was how it seemed. 

He’d walked in and greeted Dom, more quietly than usual, and then he’d set about his usual evening jobs and the routine of getting food ready and clearing up and then going to bed. He hadn’t mentioned their epic blow-up from the night before. And, because Brian didn’t, neither did Dom. 

And then it hadn’t been brought up the next day or the day after and they’d ended up in some weird state of not-talking about it and avoiding the quite apparent elephant in the room. 

It had helped, or maybe made it worse, that Brian’s schedule had seen him working lates and night shifts, and after a couple of days, Dom felt like he’d hardly seen him at all. 

It was silently driving Dom mad because he was sure that they were supposed to talk about it. Not that he particularly _wanted_ to, but just not talking about it put him more on edge, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He almost wanted Brian to just explode and yell at him about what a bastard he was just to get it out in the open.

But they just didn’t. And it was making Dom tetchy and grumpy to the point that even Leon was giving him a wide-berth at the garage. He was worried because he didn’t know what it meant; he felt like they had no resolution to what had happened. 

Maybe Dom’s words had done too much damage, cut too deep, because Brian, who was stubborn and ridiculously brave and faced everything head-on, didn’t want to deal with this. And then Dom wondered if Brian was as afraid as he was. Maybe he was equally scared that this would be what broke them and he was too frightened to pick at the scab in case it split the wound wide open again and it never stopped bleeding. 

Dom stared down into his bowl of cereal and stewed on everything. It seemed to be his default setting recently. He had a long day at the garage ahead of him and he was pretty sure he was at the point where someone was going to take drastic action. Vince had already given him a ‘talking to’ and he was half-expecting Leon to take up the mantle next. Or, God forbid, Letty was going to slap some sense into him. He was surprised they hadn’t called Mia in as they were rapidly running out of strategies. 

When he heard footsteps on the stairs, he looked up in surprise. It was Brian’s day off and he’d been certain that he’d wait in bed until he heard Dom leave for the day before he made his way down. 

When he appeared at the bottom, Dom blinked in surprise: Brian was wearing a black suit, with a white shirt and a black tie. 

“Where are you going?” Dom asked and then internally winced at the poor excuse for a greeting. It sounded like an accusation before he’d even said good morning. “Uh...I mean, it’s your day off. How come you’re...” he trailed off and nodded towards Brian’s attire. 

Brian looked at him and his face was carefully blank. Dom knew him well enough to know it was a front. 

“Remember that woman I told you about a while ago? The one with the abusive husband who we kept getting called out to?” he asked.

Dom frowned a little but nodded, perplexed about why this was relevant. Brian had only mentioned her once and it had been months ago. 

Suddenly, Brian’s face hardened. “A couple of weeks ago he killed her,” he said bluntly. “It’s her funeral today and I wanted to go to pay my respects. It’s the least I can do.”

He turned to walk out of the door before Dom could respond, but then paused with his hand on the handle. His shoulders slumped a little but then he drew in a breath and seemed to pull himself up again. Turning back to Dom, he almost looked angry and Dom didn’t know who that anger was really directed at. 

“It was the day I was late home from my shift because we’d been called out to her house and she was dead,” Brian told him and his voice was flat: not angry or upset, just stating the facts. “When I told you I’d had a shit day and you accused me of doing something with Rowe behind your back.”

Dom felt his stomach twist at the words. 

With that, Brian pulled the door open and walked out. 

“ _Shit_ ,” Dom breathed out as the door closed quietly behind him. 

***

When Dom arrived at the cemetery, it didn’t take him long to locate the gathering of mourners. It was a small congregation, but Brian had still positioned himself at the back of the group, probably not wanting to draw any attention to himself or invite any questions about who he was or why he was there.

He was standing with his back to where Dom had parked up, so when he approached him and silently came to stand beside him, Brian jumped a little in surprise. His eyes widened slightly as he glanced over Dom, who had hurriedly rushed upstairs as soon as Brian had walked out to pull on a white shirt, smart pants and his black jacket, but it seemed he was more surprised by his presence than his outfit. 

“I thought you had work,” Brian whispered.

Dom tilted his head slightly. “This was more important,” he replied, his voice equally low. 

Brian seemed lost for words and almost like he couldn’t take his eyes off Dom. It was like he was trying to work him out as he gazed at him. 

“‘m sorry,” Dom murmured quietly and he held Brian’s eye contact so he could read it on his face even if he didn’t believe his words. He wasn’t great at apologising or backing down, but when he meant it, he really meant it. 

Cautiously, Dom reached out his hand and let his knuckles gently rub against the back of Brian’s own hand that was down by his side. Brian blinked at him, offered him a tiny, tight smile and turned his head back to listen to the minister’s words. Then, he moved the smallest fraction and leant into Dom’s side so they were pressed together from their shoulders along the length of their arms. 

Silently, Dom released a long breath. It was the strangest of circumstances to be feeling such a way, but in that moment he felt better than he had in weeks. 

***

Instead of going to the garage after the funeral, Dom followed Brian home. The reality of everything that had happened had kind of smacked him in the face that morning and he’d realised that, no matter what, they needed to actually talk. 

Shannon’s (because Dom had found out her name that morning) funeral had been a typically somber affair. A small gathering, a few assorted family members and friends, and a minister who’d skirted around the fact that the poor woman’s final years on the planet had been a living hell. Brian had tensed beside him when the dreaded words ‘life cut short’ were uttered and Dom had wondered how much guilt he was carrying around with him over Shannon’s death. Brian wanted to help everyone - everyone that deserved his help anyway - so Dom had no doubt that he felt like he’d failed the poor woman who’d died at her husband’s hands. 

Thankfully, the son-of-a-bitch husband wasn’t present - clearly still locked up and not given bail - because Dom was sure that Brian wouldn’t have been able to hold back if he’d seen him. 

When they got home, Brian wandered into the living room, loosening his tie, before he slumped onto the couch. He looked exhausted and Dom felt another pang of guilt knowing that his recent behaviour hadn’t helped. 

He sat down on the arm at the other end of the couch and watched Brian for a moment. Then he swallowed thickly and decided to just get on with it. 

“I’m sorry,” he said simply and Brian looked at him steadily. He’d already said it at the cemetery but he needed to do this properly without hiding from it anymore. 

“For what I said,” he continued. “I shouldn’t have said it.”

Brian’s eyes roamed over his face and he frowned a little. Sitting forward, he rested his forearms on his thighs and sighed as he focused on his hands that were clasped in front of him. 

“I need to know, Dom. Is that what you really think? Are you really just waiting for me to let you down again?” He looked up at Dom again and held his gaze. 

Dom shook his head slightly. “Of course I’m not. It was a stupid thing to say.”

Brian huffed out a breath. “But don’t they say that people always say what they really mean in the heat of the moment? And if that’s how you really feel...”

Dom cut him off. It wasn’t how he felt - not at all. “I should never have said that. I was angry but...I didn’t mean it. I just...I knew it would shut you up. And it was really shitty of me but I was pissed at you and...I knew it would hurt you.”

Brian nodded once like he understood and maybe he did. Maybe they both knew each other so well and were so similar that they were experts at going for one another’s weaknesses. That was quite a terrifying thought. 

“I don’t want it to be something that you throw at me every time we have a bust-up,” Brian admitted. He ran his hand through his hair and Dom wanted nothing more than to reach out and do the same. He’d missed Brian in so many ways over the last couple of weeks. “I’ve paid my dues or, at least, I think I have. I’ve shown you where my loyalties lie and I can’t spend the rest of my life apologising for something that I can’t change and don’t even regret all that much.”

Not so long ago, Dom might have wondered how Brian could say something like that, but he knew now that Brian didn’t entirely regret what happened because it had ultimately brought them together. 

“But if you doubt me...if you don’t trust me...” Brian trailed off like he didn’t know how to finish, like he couldn’t put into words what that meant. 

“I trust you,” Dom said firmly. 

Finally, Brian smiled - not a massive, bright grin, but one of his quiet smiles that he seemed to save for the two of them. 

And Dom finally reached out. He shifted across the couch and closed the distance between them, lifted his hand and cupped the back of Brian’s head to pull him in for a gentle kiss. He said a silent thank you that Brian leaned into him so easily. 

When they parted, Dom smoothed his thumb across Brian’s cheek. 

“I’ve missed you,” Brian murmured and then closed his eyes as Dom rested his forehead against his. 

They both took a few deep breaths. 

“You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” Dom told him quietly, watching as Brian’s lips quirked into a smile again.

Leaning back, Brian gave him a look as if to say ‘ _really_?’. “I must’ve learnt it from you,” he said. He leant back against the couch. “I wonder how much longer we’d have gone without dealing with things properly.”

Dom shook his head and rolled his eyes as he mirrored Brian’s relaxed position. 

“Not much longer. I think the team at the garage had just about reached the limit. Vince, if you can believe it, gave me a bit of a ‘talking-to’ over it. It was weird. I swear, that guy is like some sort of zen guru since that whole near-death experience.”

Brian couldn’t help but chuckle at the description. 

“Vince?” he asked in surprise. “And what did he say to you?”

“Told me to get my head out of my ass and see what was right in front of me,” Dom said. It felt so easy to say it now, he wondered why it had been so difficult before. 

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?” Brian asked as he turned his head to the side and looked at him.

“You.” Dom replied simply. “Someone who loves me, even when I’m being a bit of a dick.”

“Just ‘a bit of a dick’?” Brian asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dom’s own eyebrow lifted as he glared at Brian. “Don’t push it, O’Conner.”

Brian laughed and Dom finally felt like things were going to be okay. 

***

Brian leaned against the wooden post outside on the porch. He’d come outside, in just his shorts, for some fresh air. It was one of his favourite times of the night, when the city was quieter and it felt like everything and everyone was drifting towards sleep. In reality, he knew it was far from it: being a cop, and working the night shift, had shown him that plenty of people were just coming to life. But he liked the illusion of calm anyway. 

For the first time in the last few weeks, he finally felt like things were settled again. He’d felt off-kilter since his argument with Dom, like his whole world had been tipped off its axis by their shared anger and Dom’s cutting comment. Things were better now. Dom had apologised and Brian knew him well enough to know that he meant it. Neither of them were good at backing down from a fight. Neither of them were good at talking. And they definitely weren’t good at saying sorry. But when they needed to, when they eventually got over themselves, they could do it. 

Brian believed that Dom didn’t mean what he’d said: he didn’t think they’d have lasted as long as they had, or ever even got together in the first place, if Dom truly didn’t trust him or was waiting for him to betray him again. Dom built his whole world on trust and family and keeping the people that mattered to him close; Brian wouldn’t be part of his world if Dom didn’t know he could have faith in him. 

If Brian hadn’t believed the spoken apology, he’d have known it was true from Dom’s actions: following him to the cemetery as soon as he’d found out what day it was; supporting him at Shannon’s funeral because he knew it was important to Brian; realising that the significance of Shannon’s death had to be the catalyst for them sorting their shit out. Dom wasn’t a man of many words and sometimes, as clearly demonstrated, he used the wrong ones, but his actions could rarely be doubted.

They’d spent the rest of the day making up for lost time. Dom hadn’t gone down to the garage, instead seeming to want to make the most of Brian’s day off by hanging around at the house with him. And Brian wasn’t complaining. 

But despite everything being back to normal, their argument resolved and the two of them being back on solid ground, Brian felt odd. He’d come outside to savour his favourite part of the day, but something felt different tonight. There was a prickle on his skin like an itch, like the feeling of eyes on him. He stood a little straighter and let his gaze roam up the street, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. 

He was so absorbed that he didn’t hear the front door open and close or Dom step up behind him and wrap his arms around his waist, pressing his face against his shoulder. But as he felt Dom’s lips press against his neck, he tilted his head to the side a little to give him more room and forgot the weird feeling that had been nagging at him. He smiled at the sensation and lifted a hand to hold the side of Dom’s head as he licked his way up to his ear. 

The harsh squeal of tyres against the asphalt further down the street caught their attention and Brian immediately looked for the source of the interruption.

“What was that about?” he asked as he peered down the street. A set of tail-lights were just disappearing round the corner as he looked. 

“Nothing for us to worry about,” Dom told him. He tugged on Brian’s hand. “Come on, Officer O’Conner, you’re off-duty and definitely have better things to be doing.”

Brian turned and grinned at him. 

“Unless you want to give the neighbours a show,” Dom suggested and there was a definite twinkle in his eye. 

Brian laughed and pushed him towards the door. “Don’t tempt me.”


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating, but I said I wasn’t finished with these two yet! Brace yourselves for more angst...

Dom was feeling pretty proud of himself. This was going to earn him some serious brownie points and go a long way towards making amends after their argument of a few weeks ago. Because, while they’d dealt with the big issue of Dom throwing Brian’s past deeds in his face, they hadn’t discussed the other problem: his dislike of Brian’s partner or, as Brian seemed to view it, his jealousy over Brian spending time with Rowe.

So what better way to prove that he was the bigger man? What better way to show that he had no issue with Rowe? What could be more of a show of trust and an attempt to prove there was no green-eyed monsters in these parts than inviting Brian’s partner to their barbecue. 

Barbecues at the Toretto house were an almost weekly event, with sometimes just close family attending, but sometimes there were extras invited, and this was one of those occasions. It had fallen that Brian’s, and therefore Rowe’s, day off had been on a Sunday so once Dom had realised, he’d decided it was the perfect opportunity to extend the olive branch and invite Rowe to come along. Of course Dom had no idea whether Rowe had even picked up on any of the bad vibes that Brian had said were blatantly obvious, but that didn’t matter. It was merely a friendly gesture: Brian was adamant that Rowe was just lonely and trying to make friends in a new city, so this was a good chance to introduce him to people and maybe (Dom had thought to himself) focus his attention on someone other than Brian. Because maybe that was the problem - maybe Rowe had only really had chance to get to know Brian since he’d moved to LA, so maybe he’d just developed a bit of a crush on him because Brian was such a good guy who’d taken him under this wing and shown him some kindness when he was alone in the city. 

It was the perfect plan: Dom came out of it looking good and Rowe hopefully would back off from Brian. 

And, with enough people there to keep him busy, Dom wouldn’t have to actually spend too much time with Rowe and pretend he liked the creep for Brian’s sake (again, something he’d kept firmly inside his own head). Because he still didn’t trust him, not that he’d made any more suggestions about that to Brian. 

They hadn’t really discussed Brian’s partner all that much since Brian had accused Dom of being jealous, partly because it was a touchy subject that had the potential to cause an argument (again) and partly because Dom had just decided to stay quiet on the topic and wait to see what developed. After all, he trusted Brian - he really did - so it wasn’t like he was concerned that anything would actually happen behind his back. It was just Rowe that he didn’t trust and he knew that people could be sneaky when they really wanted something so wouldn’t put it past him to try something with Brian even if Brian wasn’t interested.

He could keep an eye on things from a distance and that’s what he intended to do at their gathering. He was going to be on his best behaviour, be civil if he had to interact with Rowe, and monitor the situation. Perfect.

***

Brian could admit that he’d been totally stunned when Dom had suggested that he invite Rowe over to the house for the barbecue. And, while he was shocked, he could appreciate what a big gesture it was for him. Inviting someone who he blatantly didn’t like into his home was a massive thing for Dom, and Brian knew that he’d done it for him. He knew it would be a bit awkward and that Dom probably wouldn’t want that much to do with Rowe, but he was grateful for what it meant. It was another way that Dom was trying to prove that he really did trust Brian and that meant a hell of a lot to him. 

The gathering had been the usual noisy affair once the team were all there and then the various extras that they’d invited. It made Brian smile to himself to see so many people who had initially been wary of spending time with the two of them, now back in their orbit. That had to be the ‘Dom effect’: people couldn’t stay away for long. Anyone who was still keeping their distance - for some dumbass reason like Brian was a cop or they couldn’t get over the fact that Dom was banging a dude - wasn’t worth their time or worry. Dom had said as much - if they couldn’t accept Brian, or his relationship with him, he didn’t want to know. 

Brian had been pleased when Rowe had accepted the invitation to join them. He’d wondered if he would seeing as Rowe seemed like a quiet guy who didn’t really like crowds of people, and he still wasn’t sure if his partner had picked up on Dom’s problem with him which would make him feel uncomfortable. Brian knew all about it but he wondered if that was more to do with the fact that he knew Dom so well. Maybe Rowe hadn’t picked up on it at all. 

When Rowe had arrived, Brian had greeted him and got him a beer before he’d left him standing talking to Leon while he’d helped Dom with the food preparation and keeping everyone with a drink in hand. 

He hadn’t seen him much after that, too busy chatting with their friends, but when he eventually caught sight of Rowe again, he was standing alone near the garage doors, looking like he was deep in thought as his eyes roamed over the gathered guests. Brian really hoped he wasn’t looking at them like a cop might - the last thing they needed was Rowe making some sort of connection between any of their friends and potentially criminal activity. 

“Hey,” Brian called as he approached him, “what’s up, man?”

Rowe seemed to startle a little at his arrival and straightened up. 

“Hey,” he greeted quietly. 

“You alright? Enjoying the party?” Brian asked, but he could immediately see that Rowe seemed on edge. 

“Yeah, it’s great. Thanks for inviting me over,” Rowe replied. 

Brian frowned. “You don’t seem so sure,” he said. “What’s going on?”

Rowe glanced at him and he looked troubled. His eyes moved back to the people all over the front yard and then back to Brian. 

He sighed heavily and picked at the label on his beer. 

“Look, I don’t want to cause problems...I don’t know if I should even be telling you this, but I also don’t want you to get caught up in something...something that might get you in trouble.”

Brian felt his stomach do a funny little flip. This sounded bad and the look on Rowe’s face wasn’t doing anything to reassure him. 

“I don’t know...I’m sure it’s nothing,” he added. 

He looked hesitant, like he didn’t really want to say what was on his mind. 

“Go on, Rowe,” Brian urged. “Just say it. Whatever it is, I won’t hold it against you.”

Again, Rowe sighed heavily as though the weight of the world was upon him and he really didn’t know whether he should be saying any of this. It just made Brian’s heart thud a little harder in his chest and his palms start sweating: whatever it was, he wasn’t going to like it.

“The other night, I stopped by at the garage, just to see if you wanted to get a drink or something, and I saw...I saw Dom. He was talking to someone, some Asian guy. They were just inside the garage. It looked pretty heated. I didn’t hear what they were saying, but I got the feeling they didn’t want to be overheard, you know? It just seemed...I don’t know, I’m probably reading too much into it...it just seemed off, somehow. Like it wasn’t completely above board.”

It took everything Brian had ever worked on during his training for undercover work not to react to Rowe’s words. His stomach had flipped again and his heart was still pounding in his chest. And his head had immediately started filling in his own versions of what could have been going on at the garage. Ultimately, the worst of all the scenarios that seemed to flicker through his mind at a startling speed was that Dom was somehow involved with the Trans again. He couldn’t imagine it - couldn’t think of a situation where Dom would have anything to do with the people responsible for Jesse’s death - but there was enough doubt in his head to make him wonder. 

Of course, it could have been completely innocent: the mystery guy could just have been a customer or an acquaintance of Dom’s. It could have been just a normal conversation and Rowe had just read too much into the situation. Cops sometimes did that, Brian knew - they sometimes saw more than what was really there because they were hard-wired to notice anything out of the ordinary. 

But something was niggling at Brian’s mind. Something was making him fear the worst and wonder what Dom had got himself into. Maybe the steady, quiet life that they’d created together wasn’t enough for Dom: maybe he needed the thrill and danger of races and criminal activities and truck hijackings to keep him satisfied. 

Turning away from Rowe, his eyes scanned the faces at the party until they landed on Dom. He was holding court with Hector and some of his team, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. He barked out a laugh as Brian stared at him, obviously completely oblivious to the turmoil that Brian was feeling.

Brian couldn’t react right now. He couldn’t speak to Dom about it immediately and he couldn’t let Rowe know there was any sort of problem. Obviously his partner was already suspicious of what Dom was up to and if Brian gave him any further evidence of something not being right, surely that would give Rowe even more cause for concern. ‘And besides,’ Brian reminded himself forcefully, ‘you don’t even know if there actually is something illegal going on. It could all be perfectly legit and a complete misunderstanding.’

It was a shame he was finding it so hard to believe that.

***

It was late by the time their guests had all departed. Brian had been itching to boot them out, but he’d held his tongue and done his best to put on a good front. He was good at acting, after all. 

Rowe had left straight after his conversation with Brian. He’d smiled at him sympathetically, like he felt sorry that Brian had to deal with such shit, and Brian had tried to offer him one of his confident, easy-going grins, like he didn’t have anything to worry about and everything would be fine. He didn’t feel like that at all. 

As the evening had gone on, Brian had taken himself upstairs to get some peace from the gathering. He’d needed to think and the more he’d thought, the more concerned he’d become. 

He hadn’t told Dom, but over the last few weeks, he’d felt like he was being watched. It sounded stupid even in his own head, and he no actual proof of anyone lurking around spying on him, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling. He hadn’t shared it with Dom because it sounded so ridiculous, but he was beginning to wonder if there was some connection: Dom was up to something and whoever he was dealing with was keeping tabs on them because of it. Or maybe it was the cops - maybe they’d got wind of something and they were surveilling them both to see if Brian knew anything about it. 

He grabbed a few empty cups and threw them into the trash as he waited for Dom to come back inside after seeing Vince and Leon off.It usually took a while for Vince to depart if he’d got drunk - it tended to make him soppy these days - and ordinarily Brian would just suggest letting Vince crash in the spare room, but he didn’t want anyone else there tonight. Not if he and Dom were going to get into it - again. It was typical that everything had gone back to normal after their last bust-up, which didn’t even seem that long ago, and now something else had come along to disturb their peace. 

Eventually, Dom strolled back through the front door, a contented smile on his face like he always had after a successful evening surrounded by family and friends: it was just the sort of thing he lived for. And Brian hated being the one to burst his bubble, but this couldn’t wait: he couldn’t sleep on this and he couldn’t risk something terrible happening because he hadn’t wanted to ruin Dom’s evening. 

“Hey, I lost you earlier,” Dom said as he approached him. He had that look in his eyes like he was horny and couldn’t wait to get Brian upstairs, and normally Brian would have felt his stomach flip in anticipation, but it wasn’t the idea of a good fuck that was making his stomach churn now. 

“Where’d you get to?” Dom asked as he stopped right in front of Brian. He reached up and ran his fingers through the hair at the side of Brian’s head. It was such a tender gesture, and Dom looked so happy, that Brian almost didn’t have the heart to ask him about what Rowe had told him, but he knew he had to. Dom was also a little drunk, so Brian could almost predict how this was going to go, but he needed to know what was going on, what Dom was keeping from him. 

To savour the moment, the calm before the storm, Brian leant into the touch briefly before he pulled away and leaned back. 

“I needed some peace and quiet,” he said. 

Dom looked confused. “Are you sick?”

“No. I just...I needed to think.”Brian released a long breath. He needed to just get on with it: rip the bandaid off. “I need to ask you something, and you’re not going to like it.” He held eye contact with Dom as he spoke and watched as his facial expression changed from confusion to defensive wariness instantly. And that was before Brian had even started his line of questioning. 

Dom stepped back from Brian and folded his arms across his chest. 

“Go on,” he said lowly. His voice had already lost the lightness of moments before.

“Are you...is there something going on that I should know about?” Brian asked.

“Gonna need you to be more specific than that,” Dom replied bluntly. 

Clearing his throat, Brian tried again. “Have you got some deal going on that I don’t know about? Something involving some Asian guy that you met at the garage the other evening?”

“You spying on me, Bri?” Dom asked. His head had tilted to the side slightly in that way that told Brian he was already pissed off. But what bothered Brian more was the fact that Dom wasn’t denying anything and only seemed annoyed that Brian had apparently caught him out. 

“Of course I’m not,” he immediately defended himself. “But I know there’s something going on. I know you were at the garage the other night with someone and you haven’t mentioned anything, so I’m wondering what you’re not telling me.”

“I’m helping someone out,” Dom replied simply. 

“Jesus Christ, Dom. Tell me this isn’t something illegal.”

“Nice to know you’ve got so much faith in me,” Dom said with a shake of his head. “Obviously the only reason I might be talking to someone would be because I’m up to no good.”

Brian sighed, understanding why Dom would feel defensive but also just needing to get to the truth. 

“Look I just want you to tell me what’s going on. I want to know that you’re okay and not getting involved in anything dangerous.”

“And are you concerned because we’re together or because you’re a cop? Or are the two things too close to separate?” Dom asked and Brian felt himself bristle at the insinuation. But he knew that Dom was only reacting to the way he’d been challenged over his dealings. He’d known before they’d even started the conversation that Dom wouldn’t be happy and that he’d lash out in anger. 

“You _know_ why I care,” he ground out, trying not to bite back. “And now I know about you having these secret meetings, I’m wondering if that’s why things have felt weird for the last couple of weeks. Something’s been off...like, I don’t know, I’ve felt like someone’s been watching me, or us, I don’t know. And maybe that’s all linked to whatever you’ve been doing.” He threw his hands up in the air in frustration: he didn’t know how to explain the creeping sensation he’d been experiencing and that was exactly why he hadn’t mentioned it before. 

“What exactly are you accusing me of?” Dom asked. 

Brian shook his head slightly. Dom didn’t even seem to have registered what he’d said: he just seemed focused on whatever accusation he needed to defend himself from. 

“I’m not accusing you of anything but, let’s face it, you’ve got form and you conveniently didn’t mention anything about this. And, like I said, something’s been off for a couple of weeks.”

Dom huffed out a breath and shook his head. It seemed like he’d given up with the discussion and almost didn’t have the energy to continue dragging it out into an argument. He leant against the back of the couch with his arms still crossed over his chest. “The guy I met at the garage is an old friend. He wanted me to set him up with some races so he can get some quick cash and he asked me to look over his car.He’s not been over here for a while so needed a hand.”

Brian breathed a sigh of relief. If that was all, he really had nothing to worry about. Sometimes he just wondered why Dom had to be so determined to do everything by himself. It didn’t explain why Rowe had described their meeting as looking ‘heated’ but maybe he’d just read too much into the situation and blown it out of proportion. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” he asked.

Dom rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “Well, that’s the bit you won’t like. He’s probably not meant to be here.”

Brian raised an eyebrow. 

“Pretty sure he got into some trouble last time he was over here, but nothing can be traced back to me and, even if it could, how would I know that the cops would want to speak to him?” He shrugged and Brian recognised it as the ‘I don’t give a shit’ act he did when confronted with authority: it was exactly what he’d do if the cops did come calling. 

Brian let out a dry laugh. If that was it, he really didn’t have anything to worry about. Rightly or wrongly, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d turned a blind-eye to some of the people Dom associated with and their business. As long as they didn’t do anything overtly illegal while he was in their presence, and as long as he didn’t get wind of any major crimes, he was willing to let things go. It had gone a long way to smoothing things over when he and Dom had returned to Echo Park.

“You don’t need to keep stuff like that from me,” he told Dom. “You know I’m off-duty when we’re here. Pretty sure half the people that turned up today wouldn’t have bothered if they thought I was going to write them up to the cops.”

Dom nodded once and hummed in agreement. He pushed off the couch and headed towards the kitchen, but then he stopped and turned back. 

“Why did you wait ‘til tonight to bring it up?” he asked. 

“I only just found out,” Brian replied with a shrug.

Dom frowned. “What do you mean? It was days ago - how did you only just find out? I thought you’d seen me at the garage?”

‘ _Shit_ ,’ Brian thought. It had seemed like the potential problem had been dealt with easily enough, but he knew that Dom wouldn’t let this go now he’d realised there was more to the story and he knew he’d be pissed as soon as he found out where Brian had got his information from. But he wouldn’t lie to avoid the inevitable argument. He’d learnt from past experience: the truth always found a way to come back to bite you. 

Sighing heavily, he looked at Dom steadily. 

“Look, you’re probably not going to like this, but Rowe told me.” He saw the way Dom’s eyes narrowed as soon as he heard the words. “He’d stopped by at the garage the other night, looking for me, and he saw you.”

“And what? He thought he’d come tattletaling to you?” Dom cut him off before he could say anything else.

“It wasn’t like that,” Brian argued. “He was worried. Thought you’d got into some trouble or something and wanted to warn me.”

“ _Warn you_?” Dom echoed angrily. “Warn you about what? That I’m a big bad guy who’s going to get us involved in some sort of trouble? That I’m a dangerous criminal? That he’s going to try to arrest me?”

“No! It wasn’t like that,” Brian repeated. “He was just looking out for me. He thought he was doing the right thing. He didn’t even want to tell me.”

Dom laughed bitterly. “Oh, of course,” he said sarcastically. “Poor guy. I bet it was a real hardship for him coming here to stir up shit.”

“That’s not what he was trying to do,” Brian replied. 

“Fucking hell, Bri!” Dom erupted. “When are you going to wake up?” He jabbed his finger in Brian’s direction with every word. “You’re supposed to be a cop. You’re supposed to be good at seeing what’s going on. But you can’t even see what’s right in front of you.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Brian asked, his own voice rising with the rapidly building tension between them. 

Dom shook his head like Brian was being particularly dense and it fuelled Brian’s own temper.

“I invited him here to try to smooth things over. I did it for you,” Dom said. “I wanted to show you that I didn’t have a problem with him, but, d’you know what? _He’s_ made it a fucking problem - he’s come here to stir up trouble and you’re too blind to see it.” He pointed his finger at Brian again and once more shook his head. “He wants to be more than your friend and he’s trying to find ways to make us argue, so then he can swoop in like the good guy and be there for you when you need him because I’m supposedly being a jerk or putting you in danger or some bullshit, and then he’ll get exactly what he wanted.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Brian asked in disbelief. “You seriously think he’d go to all that effort? And you think I’d do that? That I’d be so easy to manipulate like that? I think I deserve a bit more credit. You’re being crazy, Dom. You just don’t like him and you’re still jealous that I’ve got a friend that you didn’t hand-pick.”

“Do you know what? You’re right - I don’t like him. I think he’s a sneaky son of a bitch and you’ve fallen for the nice guy actbecause you want to see the best in people, all the time. Even when you shouldn’t.”

“It’s nice too know you think I’m so naive. And yeah, I do try to see the best in people. That’s what I did with you, didn’t I? We wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t. You’d be in prison again and we wouldn’t be together.”

Brian could see that his words had struck a chord with Dom, but he shook his head again like he was shaking the argument away, and then he ploughed on. 

“You’re so desperate for him to like you that you can’t see through him. You just listen to him and assume the worst of me. You’re supposed to trust _me_ , but one word from him seems to have you doubting me.”

“But he didn’t lie, did he? He didn’t have to make anything up to cause trouble because you _had_ been meeting up with someone behind my back,” Brian replied angrily. He couldn’t believe they were having the same argument all over again.

“Yeah, and he used that to try to cause problems between us. He’s trying to drive us apart,” Dom argued. 

“I don’t think he needs any help with that right now. You’re doing a pretty good job all by yourself,” Brian replied without thinking and he saw the look on Dom’s face - anger and shock and maybe a bit of hurt beneath all that. 

“So this is _my_ fault?” he asked, his voice low. 

Brian folded his arms across his chest and for a moment he couldn’t meet Dom’s eyes. Then he looked up at him and clenched his jaw. 

“You’ve been jealous of him since the beginning and you don’t like the fact that he’s the one that’s caught you out,” he said. 

Dom huffed out another dry laugh. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out. I guess you really are good at being a cop.”

“Don’t fucking patronise me,” Brian ground out. 

But it seemed like Dom was on a roll. Their argument had obviously sparked the fire that had been burning low, the smouldering anger he still held about Rowe and his apparent feelings about Brian. 

“Seeing as you’re so good at it,” Dom continued, a sneer on his face. “I guess we won’t be needing another cop around here again.”

The words were like a red rag to a bull and Brian felt his fists clench in fury. It felt like Dom was using his anger about Rowe to finally vent how he felt about Brian’s career. 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? _Another cop_? What like I’m such a massive imposition on you and your life? You knew who I was...you knew what my job was when we started this. I told you we needed to find a way to work with that and you said it wasn’t an issue. And now you’re throwing it in my face. That’s becoming a bit of a bad habit with you lately - using my past and my choices against me. I didn’t realise that me being a cop was such a problem for you, that being with me was such a hardship.”

Dom shrugged almost nonchalantly. 

“Well, it hasn’t always been a walk in the park,” he said flippantly and Brian knew him well enough to know that he was being a dick on purpose to piss him off, get him as wound up and angry as he was, push Brian’s buttons until he snapped. 

He just shook his head, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much it was working. “You’re being an asshole,” he said simply and turned his back on Dom. 

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s me that’s in the wrong here,” Dom called after him. 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Brian muttered. 

“I don’t want that bastard in my house again,” Dom stated firmly.

Brian froze and then turned to stare at him, stony-faced, for a moment. His jaw clenched. 

“ _Your_ house?” he finally ground out. “It’s like that, is it? I don’t get a say because it’s your house, your rules, right?”

Dom lifted his arms, opening them wide as though he was demonstrating the area he was referring to, showing off his kingdom. He raised his eyebrow cockily as if he was challenging Brian to argue with him about it. 

As Brian watched him, he wondered where they’d gone wrong recently. Sure they were both stubborn, they could both be complete assholes, but they’d never argued as much as they had lately. It felt like there was something amplifying every little issue between them. Usually, if they had words, they shouted a bit, slammed around, stomped off in their own directions to cool down, and then it was done. They’d make up and enjoy doing it. But this was so different: it felt like they kept trying to hurt one another. 

Part of him just wanted to forget all of this and go up to bed, sleep it off. Their bed in their house, which was how he’d thought of it since he’d moved in, but maybe Dom didn’t view it in the same way. Maybe he was just a lodger, another hanger-on that Dom had collected. He knew it was petty to think like that but he couldn’t help it. And it was Dom’s house - technically. Brian had no claim over it, his name wasn’t on any paperwork, but he’d kind of thought of it as theirs. And it wasn’t even about the house - that was just a building after all - but it was their home and Brian had thought he was part of that. 

The expression on Dom’s face showed that, despite his apparently blasé attitude, he was tightly wound like he was about to explode or stomp off out of the house and Brian felt like he was a mirror of that. And for once, he didn’t want Dom to have the satisfaction of being the one to walk out and slam the door behind him. Besides, Dom had had too much to drink to be getting behind the wheel of a car. 

“D’you know what?” Brian said as he walked around the couch and headed for the door. “I think I’d better go. Seeing as this is _your house_ , I’d better be the one to leave.”

“You’re acting like a little bitch, you know that?” Dom ground out.

“Fuck you, Dominic,” Brian stated flatly as he turned and grabbed the door handle, yanking it open and enjoying the resonating bang as he slammed it behind him and stomped down the steps. 

***

Fortunately, Brian had only had one beer at the barbecue, otherwise his storming out would have been a lot less satisfying when he wouldn’t have been able to get in his car and tear off down the street. Yes, he was pissed off, but he wasn’t going to drive drunk and get himself, or someone else, killed. 

After driving around aimlessly for a while, he’d found himself at a bar not all that far from home. ‘Or Dom’s house’, he thought bitterly to himself. It was stupid and petty to think like that, but Dom’s words were still ringing in his head and making him more annoyed and, if he was honest, sad. 

As he sat at the bar, he was so engrossed in staring miserably into his nearly empty beer that he startled a little when a hand landed on his shoulder. For a split second, he thought it might be Dom - maybe he’d followed him here because he wanted to deal with this before they ended up spending the next few weeks ignoring their problems, again. 

But when he looked up, it wasn’t Dom standing beside him. It was Rowe. 

“Hey,” Rowe greeted him cheerfully. “What are you doing here? Party over?”

It took Brian a moment to realise that he was asking about the barbecue and also to realise that it must seem odd that Brian was here, at a bar on his own, when just a few hours ago there had been a party at Dom’s. It also took him a moment to get over his surprise at Rowe being there of all places, but his partner was smiling at him expectantly and Brian cleared his throat to answer his question. 

“I...uh...I just...I needed some space,” Brian eventually replied.

It was a little odd because, instead of leaving him to his moping, Rowe seemed to take his words as an invitation to join him, and he pulled another stool over a little closer and sat down at the bar beside Brian. And maybe that was what Brian needed: a friend to share his troubles with. Didn’t they say misery loves company? 

“Are you okay?” Rowe asked as he looked at Brian closely. 

“Just...uh, just another rough one. Me and Dom...” he trailed off, not knowing how to explain and also not wanting Rowe to think that all they ever did was argue. Because they didn’t. Their good times far outweighed their bad ones, but it seemed like they were at one another’s throats more often these days. 

Thankfully, Rowe didn’t comment on anything to do with Dom. 

“Let me get you drink,” he said with a smile. “You look like you could do with another.”

Brian hesitated. Rowe was the last person he should probably be sitting having a drink with. He could just imagine Dom’s face if he saw them together, but that just made him angry all over again. Why should Dom get to dictate who he could spend his time with? So while part of him thought that he should send Rowe away, or leave himself, another part was stubbornly telling him that this was fine. Part of him wanted Dom to be the one sitting at home wondering where Brian was and what he was doing and when he was going to come back. He knew another drink would push him beyond the limit of driving, but he was sure Rowe would give him a lift, or he could get a cab, or maybe Rowe would let him crash at his place. He could just picture Dom’s reaction if that happened. 

“Yeah, go on then. Thanks, man,” Brian agreed with a nod before he drained the last of his current drink. 

Rowe smiled at him again and his hand landed on Brian’s arm as he patted him reassuringly. He seemed to linger for just a moment before he turned and caught the bartender’s attention. 

Brian slipped off his stool and headed to the bathroom while Rowe sorted their drinks. He’d wanted some time to think but it hadn’t seemed to be helping. Maybe he was better with some company so he didn’t get himself into any trouble. As he walked over to the bathroom, he suddenly felt like he was being watched again. He turned and scanned the bar: it wasn’t exactly crowded so it didn’t take long, and no-one seemed to be paying him much attention. In fact, the only one who was even looking in his direction was Rowe, who raised his own beer at him when he caught Brian’s eye. The weird feeling passed: it was just Rowe. Nothing to worry about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was kind of picturing Han as Dom’s visitor at the garage (and obviously changing up his story to fit this scenario) but he’s not going to be involved again so it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.


	7. 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check me out posting an update so quickly! You guys keep inspiring me with your amazing feedback - thank you! 
> 
> I don’t want to spoil what’s coming up in the chapter, but also want to make sure people reading are comfortable and don’t read anything that they may find triggering/need content warnings for, so I’ve explained more in the notes at the end of the chapter if you want to check those before you read. In a very brief summary, there is discussion of use of a drug to tranquillise Brian and hold him against his will. As I mentioned, please see the end notes if you need more info before reading.

Waking up felt like a hell of a lot of effort. Brian was sure he’d had a few false starts and just given up. His head felt thick and heavy and his stomach was rolling without him even moving. With his eyes still firmly closed, the mere thought of moving seemed like a bad idea. He was sure he’d vomit if he so much as turned onto his side. This was the worst hangover he’d ever experienced. 

But there was something else wrong about how he felt. Something that seemed worse than the headache and the nausea: he couldn’t remember how he’d got so wasted that he’d ended up like this. It had been a long time since he’d got completely blackout drunk, so hammered that parts of the night drifted back to him in embarrassing snatches of memory that he’d groan about. He didn’t drink like that anymore. And he couldn’t remember drinking like that last night. In fact he couldn’t remember much at all about the events of the night before. 

Eventually, he forced himself to open his eyes and blink blearily at the ceiling. Despite the resistance of his stomach and his sore eyes and his banging head, he had to wake up, had to face whatever he’d done last night, because he couldn’t remember, and he really hoped someone else could. 

The ceiling was wrong. He blinked and tried again, but it was still wrong. That wasn’t the ceiling above his and Dom’s bed. They didn’t have that crack there. 

Slowly, he turned his head to the side and squinted at the window. Not their drapes, not their window. He startled as he looked down at the bed he was lying on: not their bed. 

“What the...” he tried to sit up but groaned at the pain that thudded around his head at the action and promptly had to lie back down. He squeezed his eyes closed as his stomach joined in the protest at the sudden movement and he willed the nausea to fade. 

What the hell was going on? Where was he? And why did he feel so weird? 

In a moment of panic, his eyes snapped open and he looked down the length of his body. He was still fully clothed - thank fuck. Still wearing the clothes he’d been wearing at home, at the barbecue, at the bar last night. 

Just as his bewildered brain seized on that, his thoughts were interrupted. 

“Hey! You’re finally awake!” 

Rowe walked into the room with a smile on his face and a glass of water in his hand. 

Brian managed to roll his head on the pillow so he could face him. He felt pathetically weak and he had no idea why. 

“What...what’s going on?” he asked and he wondered if his words were actually as slurred as they sounded to him. 

Rowe chuckled. “You had a bit of a rough night,” he said brightly. “Had a bit too much to drink so I brought you back here so you could sleep it off.”

Brian had no recollection of drinking to excess like that, but maybe that was one of the unfortunate consequences. But it still didn’t sit right with him that he couldn’t remember a damn thing. 

He squinted at him and he must have looked pitiful because Rowe stepped towards him, setting the glass of water down on the nightstand. 

“Come on. Sit up and you can have some water. That should help,” he said as he gestured for Brian to get himself into an upright position. He even helped him, guiding him up with a hand under his arm.

When Brian was sitting, the room seemed to be spinning, but he gratefully accepted the glass from Rowe’s hand and took a long drink. He hoped it would help begin to clear his head. 

“I don’t remember much of last night,” he admitted quietly. 

Rowe just shrugged. “Well, you did have a lot to drink.”

Brian frowned at that and then looked towards the window again. It must have been morning because the light was spilling through the drapes. How had he lost so much time? And why didn’t he remember drinking so much? He’d had one beer at the barbecue and then one at the bar when he’d arrived. Rowe had bought him another beer, but that definitely wasn’t enough to leave him in such a state and he couldn’t remember any more drinks after that. 

As he sat there sipping on the water, he tried to think. He remembered the barbecue and he remembered the awful argument with Dom. 

‘Jesus, Dom must be so pissed off with me,’ he thought. He couldn’t remember having any contact with him after he’d walked out of the house and he wondered whether Dom had been trying to call him or if he’d been so stubbornly angry that he’d just not bothered. He could imagine Dom refusing to be the first one to make a move but silently sitting worrying about where Brian had got to. He suddenly wanted to call Dom, but he had no idea where his phone was. 

It was just another thing that didn’t make sense. And another thing that Brian couldn’t remember. 

Suddenly, Brian’s confused thoughts began to clear and he started thinking of cases he’d dealt with: people who’d come to the precinct crying about their night out that they couldn’t remember but knowing something awful had happened to them; people who’d woken up with ripped clothes and no memory of how they’d ended up like that; people who had left drinks unattended or accepted them from strangers and then been hurt in terrible ways. And none of them could remember anything. Just like Brian. 

Another wave of nausea rushed over him. His gaze moved to Rowe who was still standing smiling at him, his hands clasped in front of him and almost looking like he was waiting for something. 

“I...I need to go,” Brian said as he put the glass down on the nightstand and moved to push himself up from the bed, but his legs wouldn’t co-operate and he stumbled. 

Rowe rushed forward and caught him under the arms, pushing him back towards the bed. 

“Not yet,” he said calmly. “You don’t look well. You should stay here for a while.”

“I need to go,” Brian repeated, but he felt weak and confused. 

“You’re safe here,” Rowe told him. 

Brian wanted to scream at him. He wanted to punch him. Because suddenly he knew what had happened and it made him sick. He wasn’t safe here. He needed to leave. 

“I...I...” he couldn’t seem to string a sentence together. What was wrong with him? He felt worse now than he had when he’d originally woken up. 

Slowly, his eyes moved to the glass on the nightstand, mostly empty now and then up to Rowe’s face. Rowe had followed his gaze to the glass and then he looked back to meet Brian’s eyes. 

“What...did you...do?” he managed to ask. 

Rowe just smiled down at him. “Get some sleep,” he said simply. 

Brian didn’t want to sleep. He didn’t want to be here. His thoughts were tangled and confused and nothing about this made any sense, but he knew he had to get away. 

And he didn’t want to sleep - not again. 

But he couldn’t fight it. 

***

Brian groaned. He heard it in his own head but he felt like the sound was distant somehow, like he wasn’t even in control of his own body. 

Something was wrong with him. 

His mind desperately tried to grab hold of what had happened. He felt like he’d been here before: he felt like he’d lived this exact moment already. Waking up confused, feeling ill like he’d drunk the entire contents of a bar, struggling to remember what had happened and why he felt like he did and where he was. 

It was that thought that made him force his eyes open. He blinked up at the ceiling and then he knew it wasn’t just a fucked up deja-vu moment - he had done this before. The memory was hazy, he struggled to hold onto it, but he knew he’d woken up like this before; he knew he’d stared up at that ceiling in bewilderment before. 

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he tried to calm his racing thoughts. His head was pounding and his eyes felt gritty. He moved his hand to scrub at his eyes, or he tried to. His arm moved only slightly before something caught around his wrist and stopped him. There was a clank of metal against metal and Brian’s eyes snapped open. He twisted his head and stared up at his right hand in horror. He was handcuffed to the metal frame of the headboard. 

“What the fuck?” he breathed out and then immediately started tugging against the handcuff. 

The cuff rattled against the metal pole but it was tight around his wrist and there was no wriggling out of it. He scrambled to sit more upright on the bed so he wasn’t lying down trying to manoeuvre his arm, but it made no difference and just made his head swim sickeningly. 

Suddenly, Rowe was standing in the doorway. Brian hadn’t heard him approach as he’d been so focused on breaking free from the cuffs. 

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Rowe said brightly. “Although I suppose it’s actually afternoon - you’ve been asleep for so long.”

“What the _hell_ is going on?” Brian spat. 

Rowe just tilted his head to the side and frowned a little as though he had no idea what Brian’s problem was. 

“What have you done to me? Where am I?” Brian asked as he stared back at him. Maybe this was all a sick joke. 

“I brought you back here last night. You were a bit all over the place so I thought it was for the best,” Rowe explained calmly. 

“I don’t remember last night,” Brian said steadily. He had to keep calm and figure out what was going on. The person standing in front of him didn’t seem like the same man he’d worked alongside for months now and that freaked Brian out more than anything. He didn’t know the man in front of him and he didn’t know what he was capable of. 

“You had a lot to drink,” Rowe told him, but Brian knew that wasn’t true. Even if he’d drank and drank, he’d still be able to remember at least some of what had happened. As it was, the only thing he could recall was being at the bar and Rowe offering to buy him a drink. He remembered waking up here before - was it that morning? - and realising that something was wrong, that Rowe had done something to him and wasn’t there something else that seemed important? He glanced to the nightstand where a now-full again glass of water was sitting innocently. 

He swallowed around the bile that had risen in his throat. 

“Rowe...did you put something in my drink last night?” he asked. His voice was surprisingly level and he amazed himself by how calm he was staying when he really wanted to yell and kick and throttle the man standing in the room with him. 

Rowe finally looked a little concerned. 

“I just gave you a little something to help you stay calm,” he replied like it was an everyday occurrence. 

Brian could feel himself beginning to tremble but he tried not to let Rowe see his reaction. 

“Why? Why would do that to me? I _trusted_ you,” he said.

“I had to get you back here,” Rowe explained. “I had to make sure you were safe.”

“ _Safe_?” Brian echoed. “Safe from _what_? I was fine - I wasn’t in any danger. Not until _you_ came along at least!” 

As much as he wanted to stay calm, the fury and revulsion and betrayal he felt were rising to the surface. 

Suddenly, Rowe closed the distance between them and stepped up alongside the bed where Brian was sitting, still chained to the bed post. 

“Don’t be like that,” he said desperately. “I did it for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to drug me!” Brian exploded. “You fucking roofied me!”

“To help you,” Rowe said and he reached out to Brian. 

Brian practically jumped off the bed, or he would have done if the handcuffs weren’t holding him securely. He yanked on them desperately and kicked out at Rowe with his legs. 

“Don’t you fucking touch me!” he yelled. He felt like he was caged, a terrified animal lashing out at his captor, and he just didn’t understand why any of this was happening, why Rowe had done this to him. “You drugged me last night and you did it again this morning, didn’t you? You sick fuck!”

After narrowly avoiding a kick from Brian’s thrashing legs, Rowe stepped back, holding out his hands in front of him innocently. Like Brian was the crazy one that needed calming. 

“Don’t be like that,” he repeated. “I told you I did it for you. I just want to look after you.”

“Looking after me doesn’t involve drugging me and chaining me up!” Brian snapped. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” 

Rowe’s face hardened. “There’s nothing wrong with me, Brian. Loving someone means you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make things work.”

Brian’s eyes widened at the words. Loving someone? Rowe was insane. 

“You don’t love me. You...can’t,” he replied. He felt like the adrenaline was leaving him suddenly, leaving him feeling exhausted again, and he wondered if the drugs were still working their way out of his system. He’d had enough strength to lash out at Rowe once, but his energy was fading fast. And the very real, very scary, prospect that Rowe was obsessed with him was suddenly overwhelming. 

“Of course I love you!” Rowe exclaimed. He was smiling again. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“No,” Brian shook his head. “Rowe, this isn’t right. You have to let me go.”

“You can’t leave me, Brian,” Rowe replied. “You look tired - maybe you should get some sleep. Why don’t you have a drink and get some rest?” 

He gestured to the glass on the nightstand and Brian felt sick at the thought of drinking from it and slipping back into a sleep that left him totally vulnerable again. With a rage-fuelled shout, he grabbed the glass with his free hand and launched it at Rowe. It shattered against the wall as Rowe stepped to the side. 

Rowe blinked at him and frowned. 

“That wasn’t helpful, was it? Get some rest; you’re obviously tired.” 

With that he turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him as he went, leaving Brian alone.

For a long moment, Brian just stared at the spot where Rowe had been seconds before. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d trusted Rowe. Rowe was his partner, his friend. He’d reached out to him, offered him help and taken him under his wing. He’d invited him into his home. 

He drew in a shuddering breath. 

He’d been fooled and betrayed so completely. And he hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t seen the warning signs. He’d been such an idiot. 

But Dom had seen what was going on. Maybe he hadn’t realised exactly how far Rowe was willing to go, but he’d seen something there that wasn’t right. He’d tried to tell Brian and Brian had basically told him to fuck off. 

The thought made Brian want to scream or sob. He wasn’t sure which, but he could do neither. Neither reaction would actually help. 

Because Dom had no idea where Brian was. The last time they’d spoken had been in anger and Brian had stormed out. Was Dom even concerned that he hadn’t returned last night? Or was he still so angry that he didn’t even care? God, he wanted to see him. But Dom would have no idea what had happened and that scared Brian more than he wanted to admit. 

Desperate to get some control, Brian forced himself to think about what had happened. They’d argued last night after the barbecue. Brian had driven around and then gone to the bar. The realisation that Rowe had followed him was like a slap to the face. Had Rowe been watching the house? Waiting for the fallout from the information he’d given Brian about Dom? Had he known all along that it would cause an argument that would leave Brian alone and vulnerable? Had he been planning this? The thought made Brian feel sick again. Rowe had been watching him and, if the last few weeks were anything to go by, Brian was sure he’d been doing it for a while. Brian had been convinced someone was spying on him and now he knew he’d been right. He just never expected that it would be someone he trusted. 

He’d been such an idiot. He berated himself silently for his stupidity. He’d missed all the warning signs, even when Dom had been so adamant that there was something going on with Rowe. He’d ignored Dom and he’d ignored the alarm bells that should have been going off in his own head. He’d been so desperate for a friend, for a partner that wouldn’t shun him, for someone to want to spend time with him that wasn’t Dom or someone associated with him, that he’d blindly let Rowe into his life and not noticed what was going on right under his nose. 

Every moment with Rowe seemed tainted by his now-obvious obsession. All the times he’d looked at Brian for longer than necessary, the way he’d appeared where Brian was by ‘coincidence’, the way he’d offered a friendly ear or practically a shoulder to cry on. 

Every memory made Brian feel sick.

In sheer desperation, he turned back to his cuffed wrist and started tugging against the restraint. He couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t sit and do nothing. He had to get away. 

But no matter how much he pulled or twisted or yanked at the cuff, it didn’t loosen or move in any way that would help him get free. His arm was aching and his wrist was sore by the time he gave up and slumped back against the bed. Exhaustion was creeping over him again and he knew he was still feeling the after-effects of whatever drug Rowe had laced his drink with last night and again that morning. Combined with the lack of food since the day before, he knew he was feeling weak and he lay back against the pillow behind him. He couldn’t get out of this situation by force - at least not right now - so he had to come up with another plan. There was no point even trying to think clearly with his mind so overwhelmed and while he was feeling so drained. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew he needed to sleep. He had to give in to the feeling pulling him under; fighting it would only make him feel worse. 

He’d get out of this one way or another - he wasn’t a victim and he wasn’t going to let Rowe get away with this. He was going to make Rowe regret ever laying eyes on him. 

***

The next time Brian woke up, he remembered immediately where he was. There was no disoriented confusion: he knew he was being held captive by Rowe and he knew the other man was out of his mind. 

Despite that, there was another nasty surprise for him. As he tested the handcuff that was still securely fastened around his wrist, he looked down the length of his body and released a stunned gasp as he realised that his ankles had been zip-tied together over the top of his pants. He’d been exhausted when he’d finally given in to sleep, but he could hardly believe that he’d been so out of it that he hadn’t even noticed someone binding his ankles together, effectively restraining him even further. He tried to spread his ankles to slacken the hold but he knew it was useless - the more he struggled against the ties and tried to force them apart, the tighter they’d become. 

Letting out an enraged shout, he pulled at the handcuff again, clanging the metal against the bed post loudly in his rage. 

“Rowe!” he yelled. “ _Rowe_! Where the hell are you?” 

Seemingly unflustered by the noise and Brian’s anger, Rowe opened the bedroom door and stepped calmly into the room. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked. 

Brian fell silent and just stared at him in utter disbelief. He couldn’t believe that this person was the same man he’d been partnered with for months. The man standing staring back at him must have been insane - he was looking at Brian like everything about the situation was totally normal. 

“How am I feeling?” Brian asked. “How do you think I’m feeling? You drugged me and brought me here and locked me up and now you’ve zip-tied my legs so I can hardly move.”

“Well, your behaviour earlier on made the zip-ties necessary,” Rowe said as he nodded towards Brian’s ankles. 

He was obviously referring to Brian’s rage-fuelled attempt to kick him and Brian silently cursed himself for his rash actions. If he’d stayed calm, he wouldn’t have ended up in an even worse situation and made his escape even harder. He realised in that moment that he was going to have to play along, or at least seem calmer than earlier, if he wanted to get anywhere with Rowe. There was no getting out of this by brute force: he’d have to make Rowe believe that he wasn’t a threat. 

“I’m sorry about that,” he forced out. The words felt bitter in his mouth especially as he really wished he’d kicked Rowe right in the balls for this, but he had to play nice. For now. “I just...panicked. I just don’t understand what’s going on. Why are you doing this?”

Rowe frowned at him like is was a strange question, like the answer was obvious. 

“Because I care about you. I want you to be happy - you deserve to be happy.”

“I was happy before this happened,” Brian replied immediately. “I don’t understand any of this, Rowe.”

Rowe tutted at him and shook his head. “You really have to stop calling me that, you know? While we’re at home together, you shouldn’t keep calling me ‘Rowe’ - I want you to call me Liam.”

There were so many things wrong with what Rowe had just said. Not least that he’d just completely ignored Brian telling him that he was happy before Rowe had abducted him. But the fact that he’d called this place ‘home’ and was talking about it as though they were going to be there together forever was almost enough to make Brian scream in frustration. But he knew he had to play the long game: he had to make Rowe (because he refused to think of him as anything other than that in his head, regardless of what he might have to say to his face) believe that he was going along with this madness. 

“Liam,” he said and felt like he had to force the word out. But he was rewarded by Rowe smiling at him in contentment so he knew it was a good move. “What do you want from me? I...I know you said you care about me, but...I just don’t know why you’ve done this. Please...I need you to explain it to me.”

Rowe sighed heavily and then turned away. He grabbed a wooden chair from the corner of the room and pulled it up alongside the bed and then sat down. He leant his elbows on the edge of the bed and gazed at Brian. 

He was close enough that Brian could have punched him in the face with his left fist, but it would be pointless. It wouldn’t be enough to incapacitate Rowe for long and he knew he had to wait for the right moment to act if he wanted any chance of escape. Besides, he’d only anger Rowe and the last time he’d lashed out at him, he’d woken up with his legs bound. He didn’t want to wake up next time with his other arm restrained. 

Rowe laid one hand down onto the bed and his fingertips were millimetres away from Brian’s hip. He glanced down at them and forced himself to stay still and not pull away from any risk of contact. 

“You and me, we’re the same,” Rowe told him. “You’re lonely too. You don’t have anyone here. Except _them_ ,” and the way he spat the word made Brian almost cringe. 

And while that was true in many ways - Brian only had Dom and his friends, and he had been lonely at work because of the way his colleagues treated him - it didn’t necessarily mean he was lonely. And having Dom and the team and all the other people they hung around with wasn’t a bad thing like Rowe was making it out to be - he was lucky to have them. He’d just wished he had some people around him that weren’t his friends just because of Dom. 

He knew there was no point trying to explain that to Rowe. 

“Why did you move to LA?” he asked instead because he’d always wondered.

“To find somewhere I could belong. And then I found you. Don’t you see? It was meant to be. _We_ were meant to be.” 

Rowe was so earnest and confident in what he said that Brian knew he believed it; he actually believed that they’d been brought together by fate or something. He really was completely delusional. 

“But I’m with Dom,” Brian said simply. 

Rowe let out a bitter laugh. He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. 

“You don’t have to worry about him anymore.” 

A wave of panic washed over Brian. What if Rowe had done something to Dom too? 

“What are you talking about?” he asked quickly. “What have you done to him?”

“Nothing!” Rowe replied defensively. “I don’t care about him. I only care about you. And now you’re here we can forget about him.”

“I can’t just forget about him. That’s not how this works,” Brian told him. He didn’t want to upset Rowe seeing as he was clearly dangerously delusional, but he wouldn’t pretend like Dom meant nothing to him even to save his own skin. 

Again, Rowe shook his head. 

“I could see how unhappy you were. How he was making you feel.”

“You’re wrong: he makes me happy,” Brian argued. 

“He’s not right for you. I know you felt trapped with him and I know you’re tough, but you shouldn’t have to put up with how he treats you,” Rowe said as he completely ignored Brian’s words. 

“What are you talking about?” Brian asked in confusion. 

“I saw how you dealt with Shannon. I saw how you reacted when she was killed,” Rowe said. “You sympathised with her...no, you _empathised_ with her. You knew what it was like to be trapped with an abusive asshole. You couldn’t save her, but I saved you.”

Brian couldn’t believe that Rowe was comparing Dom to Shannon’s husband. Sure Dom had a temper - they both did - but he wasn’t abusive and he’d never laid a hand on Brian in aggression since they’d been together. In fact, Dom was usually the one who would walk away to avoid them getting into anything they’d truly regret - ‘except this time,’ Brian thought ruefully, ‘this time I walked away and look where that’s left me.’

“I felt sorry for Shannon because of what she was living through, not because I knew what it was like. Dom’s not like that - he’d never hurt me. I wasn’t trapped with him - I was there because I wanted to be, because I _love_ him.”

It seemed unbelievable that the irony of the situation was apparently totally lost onRowe: he was claiming that Dom had trapped Brian in an abusive relationship, and yet he was the one who’d literally tied Brian up to keep him there. 

“I’ll look after you now,” Rowe said. “You just need some time to see the truth.”

“This is crazy!” Brian shouted. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. His patience was running out and trying to reason witha mad-man was clearly not getting him anywhere. 

“It’s not crazy. I did it all for you!” Rowe exclaimed. “Everything. I even bought that shitty old car so we could spend time together working on it.”

Brian’s mouth flapped open in shock. This had been going on for months and he hadn’t seen it. “What?”

“You’d told me how much you loved working on cars. How much you’d enjoyed fixing up that Supra. I knew we’d have a good time doing it together.”

Everything suddenly crashed into Brian. The whole thing had been a lie. Everything that Rowe had done - his supposed friendship and his eager, loyal partner act - had all been part of some twisted game to get close to Brian. It felt like a punch to the gut. And suddenly he couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Dom had felt like when he’d discovered that Brian was a cop. God, Dom - what was he going to think? Where did he think Brian was right now? Did he even care after the way he’d walked out? Brian felt sick to his stomach and this time it wasn’t anything to do with the drugs still lingering in his system. 

Suddenly, Rowe reached out and ran his fingers through the hair at the side of Brian’s head. It took everything Brian had not to flinch away from his touch or try to bite him. He hated the feeling of it - it made his skin crawl - but he knew he had to endure it for now. 

Rowe gazed at him like he was the most wonderful thing he’d ever seen. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he told him dreamily. 

Brian stared at him with wide eyes. He hoped the disgust and vicious hatred he felt weren’t too obvious on his face, but he also wondered if Rowe could see how scared he was beneath everything else. Because he was terrified: that one wrong move would see him die here at the hands of his crazed stalker; that he’d never see Dom again and never get to explain everything and tell him how sorry he was; that no-one would ever find him and know what had happened to him. It was almost overwhelming. 

Eventually, Rowe stood up from his seat and Brian felt like he could breathe a little easier. 

“I’ve got to go. Our shift starts soon,” Rowe announced as he moved the chair back into the corner of the room.

“What?” Brian gasped in shock.

“I need to go to work. It’ll look a bit weird if neither of us show up, won’t it?”

Suddenly, Brian panicked. Rowe was going to leave him chained up in his house all alone for hours. And while that might give him a chance to make a plan or attempt to get free, it also left him incredibly vulnerable. What if something happened? What if there was a fire? Brian would be trapped, tied to the bed and left to die. 

“You can’t go,” he said and hated the desperation in his voice. “You can’t leave me here like this.”

It seemed that Rowe thrived on his pleading: his eyes lit up and he smiled softly at Brian. He stepped closer and ran his hand over Brian’s head again, his fingers tangling in his curls. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. I’d never leave you. Just get some rest while I’m gone. Oh hang on, I nearly forgot.”

He turned and walked out of the room, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of water in his hand and a sandwich on a plate. 

“I know you’re worried about me putting things in your drink again so it’s a new bottle,” he said as he held it out to Brian. 

The seal was indeed in tact and Brian surprised himself with how grateful he felt - his throat was sore and he was desperately thirsty but he wouldn’t have drunk from a glass again. He eyed the sandwich with suspicion as Rowe placed it on the nightstand. 

“See you later,” Rowe said cheerfully. 

“Rowe...Liam,” Brian called after him, but he wasn’t sure what he was going to say when the other man turned back and smiled at him. 

“I’ll be back soon - I promise,” Rowe said and he walked out, closing the door softly behind him. 

Brian listened carefully and a few minutes later a door downstairs opened and closed. Then a car engine started outside and the sound faded as it moved off down the street. 

Rowe was gone and Brian was completely alone. 

Suddenly it struck him that if Rowe was going to work for their night shift, it was late on in the day. It was evening and that meant that Brian had been gone for nearly twenty-four hours. He couldn’t help but wonder what Dom was doing, what he was thinking. Was he worried about Brian’s whereabouts? Or was he so pissed off that he was refusing to give him a second thought? 

Twisting his body, he managed to sit up on the bed with his bound legs over the side. He started pulling on the cuff again, yanking against the metal until it cut into his skin. 

He had to get out: he had to get away from here. He had to get home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning notes: Brian realises that Rowe has spiked his drink with some sort of drug/tranquilliser, such as Rohypnol. There is discussion of Rowe being obsessed with Brian and he is holding Brian against his will. Brian briefly remembers cases where people have been assaulted while under the influence of drugs (and this is how he figures out that Rowe has spiked his drink) but there is no mention of this happening to him. 
> 
> No Dom in this chapter but we will see how he’s dealing in the next one...


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me again! I didn’t want to keep you waiting too long to see what Dom’s been up to and more of what Brian’s going through...or has he escaped?!

Dom didn’t really know what to do. Or how to feel. 

It had been well over twenty-four hours since he and Brian had argued and Brian had stormed out of the house. 

He’d waited up for him. After Brian had torn off down the street in his car, Dom had debated going after him, but hadn’t wanted to risk their fighting becoming something more dangerous if he’d caught up with Brian and he’d not been in a talking mood. 

Instead, after he’d calmed down, he’d sat on the couch and waited for him to come home. He didn’t want to keep arguing. Brian had pissed him off again and seemed determined to defend his irritating, creepy workmate, but Dom was sick of fighting with him. He just wanted them to talk without tearing any more strips off one another. 

He was the first to admit that he wasn’t that good at talking about things and he wasn’t great at keeping his temper under control, but he _was_ an expert at lashing out with his words (and his fists, when it came to it) to cause the most pain and push away the people he loved. But he was tired of that. He was tired of them trying to hurt one another. 

He wondered if Brian didn’t realise just how much he loved him - maybe he didn’t realise that Dom didn’t care about any of the other shit as long as they were together. Of course, they’d shared those words with one another. Brian had been the first to declare it, laughing brightly and kissing Dom happily before he’d just blurted it out and then looked a little surprised at himself. But Dom had grabbed him and pulled him back in for another heated kiss, echoing the words back to him as soon as he’d come up for air and Brian had grinned one of his wide, infectious smiles and Dom had known he wasn’t just saying the words because Brian had said them first: he was completely in love with the man in his arms. 

Dom had told Brian he loved him since then, but maybe not enough, or maybe Brian didn’t know quite how much he cared about him, needed him. They weren’t exactly a couple for soppy declarations all the time, or massive romantic gestures, or even saying ‘I love you’ before they left the house. Dom hoped that Brian knew, but maybe that wasn’t enough. 

He was beginning to think that it wasn’t, when Brian didn’t come home. 

In the early hours of the morning, Dom had given up waiting and headed up to bed alone. 

He’d tried calling Brian after he’d been gone for a few hours, but after a couple of rings, the call had been cut off and Dom had taken that as a clear message that Brian didn’t want to talk to him yet. Before he went up to bed, he’d tried calling again and the phone had gone straight through to asking him to leave a message, and Dom had grumpily hung up without bothering. He’d felt the frustration building again and decided that they probably weren’t going to be able to talk sensibly and calmly that night anyway, so he’d gone off to bed, alone and annoyed. He’d decided they’d talk in the morning. 

Except they couldn’t because Brian still hadn’t come home by the time Dom got up. 

He’d been surprised and more than a little worried when he’d made his way downstairs and found the house empty and quiet, just like it had been when he’d gone up to bed the night before. It wasn’t like Brian to behave in such a way, but maybe that was how far they’d come, how far they’d pushed one another. 

He’d called Brian again and again there had been no answer. The irritating, generic answer phone voice grated on his nerves and he’d squeezed his phone tightly in his hand as he’d left a brief message for Brian. 

“Brian, I don’t know where you got to last night but...I think we need to talk. Come home...please.”

He’d left it at that, not wanting to say too much over a recorded message, and then got ready to head out to the garage. 

The whole day had been weird. He’d glanced up from whatever he was working on every time someone had driven up to the garage, wondering if it was Brian. He’d checked his phone repeatedly, hoping to see some recognition of his earlier message. He’d avoided speaking to Leon and Vince too much for fear that they’d see how antsy he was, knowing that he couldn’t put into words what was going on if they asked him. And then he’d gone home early to find no sign of Brian and no sign that he’d even been back during the day. Dom knew that Brian had a shift that night and he’d hoped to catch up before he went back out to work, but he quickly gave up on that plan when Brian was a no-show. He must have gone straight to the precinct from wherever he was staying. 

The weirdest thing was that Dom was sure that Brian had never run away from anything in his life. Sure, he’d walked out last night - angry and needing some space - and Dom couldn’t begrudge him that, but Brian had never run away before, not like this. Him disappearing and refusing to speak to Dom just seemed so unlike him. Usually he faced everything head on, no matter how scary, but he was clearly running away from having to deal with this. 

Or maybe he was just using this as a way to punish Dom. As soon as the bitter thought entered his head, he pushed it away. Brian wasn’t like that: he wasn’t that cruel or petty. He didn’t play games. He wouldn’t purposefully make Dom worry about him by ignoring him. 

But where the hell was he? Dom debated going out to look for him, but where would he even begin? It was a big city and he was one man. He could cover a lot of ground in a few hours, but it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Brian could be anywhere: he might have even left the city. He might have left the state. The thought of it didn’t sit right with Dom at all; Brian wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t run away from this, from them. But he’d decided that it was useless for him to go out driving around on the off chance that he’d stumble across Brian. He had to wait. 

After another night of wondering and waiting for the door to open or the phone to ring, Brian still wasn’t home. Dom woke up from a restless night hoping, but not actually expecting, Brian to be rolling in from his shift that should have finished early that morning. 

There was nothing. No sign of him, no calls, nothing. 

He couldn’t help but worry that something awful had happened to him. What if Brian had got into some trouble? What if he was hurt somewhere and Dom had no idea? But surely someone would have let him know. If Brian had been in an accident, the cops would have found out and someone would have come to inform him, wouldn’t they? And he’d tried to contact Brian and he’d rejected the call so he obviously didn’t want to talk to him which was why he’d turned his phone off. 

Nothing about any of it made any sense, but Dom was beginning to get pissed off. He couldn’t help it. 

If Brian was done with him, didn’t he have the balls to tell him to his face? If he needed some space, couldn’t he at least say so without just disappearing like this? 

He was torn: angry and hurt and confused and worried. He didn’t think he’d ever felt such turmoil since Brian had revealed his true identity as Vince lay on the ground in the desert, bleeding to death. He’d felt like everything was falling apart around him then, and - he almost didn’t want to admit it to himself for fear of being over-dramatic - he felt the same now with Brian’s absence a gaping hole in his world. 

It was painful and he just didn’t know what to do, or what to do with himself. 

Wherever Brian was, he was holding Dom’s heart in his hands, and Dom was sure he wouldn’t feel right until he returned. 

***

Brian startled awake at the sound of the front door closing downstairs. He blinked stupidly for a moment and then realised that Rowe was back from his shift - the shift that he should have been on too. 

The anger and hopelessness flooded through him again. Anger at Rowe for doing this to him and anger at himself for failing to be able to take the opportunity to get free while Rowe had been gone. Anger at himself for falling asleep when he should have been using every possible moment to get away. Hopelessness that he had struggled and fought against the bonds holding him for hours while Rowe had been away and still hadn’t managed to escape. 

With his free hand, he pushed himself more upright on the bed. His right shoulder protested the movement as it jarred his sore muscles. He was amazed he hadn’t dislocated his shoulder, he’d pulled so hard against the restraint. He winced as the metal of the handcuff ripped away from the dried blood it had stuck too when he’d eventually given into his exhaustion and fallen asleep. The metal of the cuff had bitten into the delicate skin of his wrist, tearing at the flesh and leaving it bleeding freely. Rather horrifically, he’d actually been glad to see the blood: he’d hoped it would allow his hand more chance to slide free from the tight gap of the handcuff, but he’d been left disappointed. He’d yanked and pulled and cried out in frustration when the cuff had held firm and his wrist had remained trapped inside. He hadn’t even registered the pain of his torn skin at the time, but now it was throbbing mercilessly and as he moved and pulled the dried scabs off, it sent a stab of pain through his whole arm. 

Rowe was coming up the stairs - Brian could hear him - and there was no way he’d be able to hide the state of his arm. It was obvious that he’d been trying to get free and it didn’t support his plan to play nice with Rowe to get him to let his guard down. 

It was daylight outside and Brian could hardly believe he’d been stuck here for another night. As soon as Rowe had left for his shift, Brian had started trying to get free. He’d twisted his arm and squeezed his hand with his other one and hadn’t been able to wriggle out. He’d examined the headboard for any tiny gap that he could use and there was nothing. He’d tried to loosen the zip-ties around his ankles and found them impossibly tight. He’d yelled and shouted in the vain hope that someone might hear him. Eventually, as the full darkness of the night had slipped over the room, he’d just started pulling viciously at the handcuff in sheer desperation. And still he was trapped. At some point, the combination of lack of food (because he’d refused to eat Rowe’s sandwich), the remnants of the drugs and the physical exertion had left him exhausted and he’d collapsed back against the bed and a fitful sleep had taken over. Now, in the light of another day as a prisoner, he silently cursed himself for allowing it.

“Morning!” Rowe announced as he walked into the room, still in his uniform. “How did you sleep?”

It was like he had no understanding that this whole situation was completely fucked up. He acted like he’d come home from work to greet his boyfriend, not his captive.

Rowe’s eyes immediately landed on Brian’s bleeding arm and they widened at the sight of it. 

“What have you done to yourself?” he demanded as he rushed forward. 

He inspected the injury carefully, lifting Brian’s arm from where it was hanging by the cuff and frowning. 

“I don’t like being locked up like this,” Brian stated simply, and wondered why he needed to even explain such a thing to Rowe. 

“Look at the state of you!” Rowe snapped. “You’ve made a real mess of your arm. I can’t believe you’ve done this, Brian.”

It was like he was scolding him for his behaviour and Brian couldn’t help but think it seemed like he was angry at him for damaging himself, like in his warped mind, Brian had damaged something that belonged to Rowe. 

Rowe huffed out a breath. “I’ll have to tidy you up before I can go to bed.”

It was like he was talking to himself, not even considering what Brian might want or why he’d done such damage in the first place. 

“And you haven’t touched your sandwich,” he remarked as he stood up straight beside the bed and glanced down at the plate on the nightstand. 

“I wasn’t hungry,” Brian replied and it was a complete lie because he felt like he was starving, and it wasn’t helping him function and plan and escape, but there was no way he was eating anything that Rowe had prepared for him. 

Rowe huffed again and took the plate with him when he left the room. 

Brian took the opportunity to look at his wrist and he could see why Rowe was so annoyed; he really had cut it up pretty bad and there was dried blood dribbled all down his forearm, almost to his elbow. 

It didn’t take long before Rowe returned. He had a first aid box tucked under his arm and a bag of potato chips and another bottle of water in his hand. It seemed he was paying attention to Brian’s refusal to touch anything he’d made himself. 

“Here,” he said as he put the chips and the water on the nightstand. “Not exactly ideal for breakfast, but you need to keep your strength up. And it won’t be long before you trust me properly and then everything will be just perfect.”

‘Not likely,’ Brian thought as he stared at the wall, refusing to meet Rowe’s eyes. He wanted to punch him in the face again, but he fought down the urge - it wouldn’t do any good. 

Rowe pulled up the chair to the side of the bed but didn’t sit down. 

“Now, I need to have a look at that wrist, but I can’t do that with you chained up, can I?”

Brian’s heart rate suddenly picked up and his head turned to face Rowe. This could be his moment. As soon as Rowe undid the cuff, he could make his move. He’d have to overpower Rowe with his legs still tied, but he could do it if he caught him by surprise. 

Before Brian could get too carried away, Rowe pulled another set of handcuffs out of his back pocket. 

Brian’s eyes widened. He knew what Rowe was going to do. 

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “No, don’t, Rowe....you don’t need to use them. Just let me go.”

“I’ve told you, you need to stop calling me that,” Rowe reprimanded him, ignoring Brian’s pleas.

He reached out for Brian’s left hand as he spoke and Brian violently pulled away. He thrashed against the bed, desperately trying to get away from him, but knowing it was useless. 

“No!” he yelled. “Get your fucking hands off me, you sick son of a bitch!”

He heard the click of the cuff and felt the metal as it clamped around his wrist, and then his arm was wrenched up as the other end was fixed to the headboard.

He’d never felt so vulnerable in his whole life: his legs were still zip-tied and now both arms were handcuffed to the frame behind him. And the man hovering over him was unstable and obsessed and thought he was in love with him. There was no telling what he’d do and Brian had no chance of fighting him off. His breathing sped up and he watched every tiny movement that Rowe made. 

Rowe looked a little flustered after the struggle of getting Brian’s arm secured and he frowned down at him again. 

“There was no need for that. I just want to help you,” he said, and he sounded so reasonable, Brian could see how people who had been kidnapped began to see their abductors in a different light. He could understand why victims developed Stockholm Syndrome when the person who’d taken them seemed like the calm, controlled one, who just wanted to take care of them, while their captive seemed crazy and out of control. It just made Brian hate Rowe all the more. 

There was a slight tinkling sound and Brian watched as Rowe quickly used his keys to unlock the handcuff around his right wrist and let his arm fall to the bed beside him. He pocketed the key again immediately. There was no way that Brian could have made a grab for it: Rowe moved too quickly and Brian’s released arm felt like a dead weight, pins and needles shooting up and down it painfully as he tried to get some sensation going in his fingers. 

Brian didn’t know what gave him more relief: the fact that he wasn’t fully restrained by both arms anymore, or that the pressure on his damaged arm was eased. 

Rowe sat down in the chair and carefully lifted Brian’s forearm off the bed. He hissed through his teeth at the state of it and then lowered it back to the mattress before he stood up and left the room again. A few minutes later he returned with a bowl of water and a cloth and settled back in the chair. 

Brian didn’t react as Rowe cleaned the wound carefully. It stung as he dabbed at the cuts with the damp cloth, but he refused to give Rowe any further reason to fuss over him. It made him sick enough to know that he was having to lie there and be treated like Rowe’s patient when it was all his fault that he was in this condition in the first place. 

Rowe seemed utterly focused on the task at hand as he tended to Brian’s wrist. Brian watched his gentle, careful actions closely and wondered what had happened to Rowe to make him think that anything about this was normal. 

“I’m sorry I snapped before,” Rowe said quietly. “I was just worried that you’d hurt yourself.” He paused, holding a bandage in his hand. “I hated seeing you hurt. You’re so perfect - I don’t want that to be ruined.”

“I’m far from perfect,” Brian replied. Again it sounded like Rowe viewed him as some sort of possession, and Brian didn’t know how to deal with that. 

“You’re too hard on yourself,” Rowe said. “I know you didn’t mean it before when you shouted at me, told me not to touch you. I know you didn’t mean it.”

Rowe had focused on the wrong thing again: he seemed totally deaf to what Brian was actually saying and like he just twisted every word to suit his own warped fantasy of their lives together. 

“I can’t stay here like this. People are going to wonder where I am,” Brian said, trying to move the conversation onto something that might get through to Rowe. 

“Don’t worry,” Rowe replied easily. “The Captain asked if I knew where you were and I said I hadn’t heard from you. He seemed a bit pissed that you hadn’t called in, but I think he’ll get over it.” 

He continued wrapping the bandage around Brian’s wrist. 

“And what about when I don’t turn up for next shift? Don’t you think people will start to ask questions?” 

Rowe shrugged. “It’s not like anyone will miss you at the precinct, is it? They don’t care about you. Not like me.”

The words struck a cruel blow because they were mostly true. None of Brian’s colleagues would care that he hadn’t turned up, other than to be annoyed that he’d dropped them in it by leaving them a man down. 

But some people did care about Brian. 

“And what about Dom?” he asked. He lifted his head and stared straight into Rowe’s eyes. Dom was the one person that Rowe couldn’t doubt, couldn’t pretend was unimportant. He was the one person that Brian was counting on. “Dom isn’t going to just forget about me. He cares. He’ll be looking for me.”

Rowe’s hands stilled on Brian’s wrist as he stared back at him.

“He doesn’t matter. He doesn’t really care about you. You said it yourself, you’d argued again. He probably thinks you’ve left him.”

“He knows me,” Brian argued. “He knows I’d never do that.”

Rowe resumed his task, tearing his eyes away from Brian’s face. “Maybe he thinks you want some space after everything that’s happened.”

Brian shook his head. “He’ll be looking for me and he’ll find us eventually.”

“I might have to go and see him then,” Rowe muttered and he pressed down a little too hard on the bandage he was fixing, causing Brian to wince. 

“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “You need to stay away from him. Leave him alone.”

Rowe looked back up at him. “I might just go and tell him I’ve seen you and you’re fine, but you said you needed to get away for a while. That you needed a break from him.”

Dom would never accept that. He wouldn’t give up on Brian so easily, wouldn’t let him just walk away. But the thought of it still sent a shiver of dread through Brian. He didn’t want Rowe anywhere near Dom: he didn’t trust him. 

“Stay away from him,” Brian repeated lowly. “Just leave him out of it.”

Rowe didn’t reply; he just blinked at Brian a few times before he looked back down at his now-bandaged wrist. 

“There we are,” he announced. “All sorted.” He turned back to the nightstand and started packing things back into the first aid kit, like everything was normal and they hadn’t just had a serious, tense conversation. 

Neither of them spoke as he tidied up and then disappeared back out of the room, taking the first aid kit with him. Eventually, he returned and sat back in the chair. 

“Shift was good today,” he said. “I ended up with Ramirez because you weren’t in, but she’s okay.”

Brian sighed as he listened to Rowe talk about his day. He didn’t want to know. He didn’t care. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to see Dom. 

Rowe smiled at him. “You’re quiet.”

It was so surreal: Rowe was living in some sort of deluded parallel universe where he came home to Brian and they chatted about their days and Brian actually wanted to be there with him, instead of wanting to strangle him. 

The way it seemed like he believed that they were a couple worried Brian. He couldn’t stop his mind wandering to how far Rowe would be willing to take his fantasy, how far he already had taken it. It was bad enough that he’d drugged Brian to bring him here, but what if he’d done more than just lie him down on the bed when they’d got back to his house.

The fear that Rowe had done something to him while he’d been asleep had been playing on Brian’s mind since he’d been able to think straight. He knew he’d woken up fully clothed, but, if he’d been completely out of it, he had no way of knowing what Rowe might have done. He didn’t feel like Rowe had sexually assaulted him, but he couldn’t be sure. The thought was horrific.

He had to ask: he had to know. But the idea of discovering that Rowe had assaulted him while he’d been unconscious was almost enough to stop him asking. Rowe seemed calm and in a talking mood: he seemed like he’d be willing to answer anything Brian asked. 

Brian forced himself to speak - he had to face this. 

“I was just thinking...The other night...when we came back from the bar...” he trailed off and swallowed thickly. “Did you...” he paused, knowing that Rowe wouldn’t view it in the same way that Brian did. If he’d sexually assaulted Brian, Rowe would think it was all part of their epic love-story that he was creating in his warped brain. He wouldn’t see it as a violation at all. “Did we...we didn’t do anything, did we? We didn’t...have sex or anything, did we? You didn’t...touch me?”

He could feel himself trembling a little as he watched Rowe and waited for his response. 

He’d dealt with rape victims before. He’d been the police officer asking the questions, feeling pity for the people he’d been trying to help. He’d never imagined he’d be the one fearing the worst; the one terrified that someone had done something so unforgivable to him. 

Rowe blinked at him in surprise and frowned. Then he shook his head slightly. “Of course not,” he said. “You were barely awake. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Brian’s heart rate slowed almost instantly and he felt himself release a long breath that he’d hardly been aware that he’d been holding on to. He closed his eyes for the briefest of moments as he tried to calm himself down. 

But then Rowe suddenly shifted forward by the bed and leaned over him and Brian’s eyes snapped open immediately. Rowe reached out and stroked his hand through the curls at the top of Brian’s head. He seemed to like touching him, especially his hair and it sent a shudder through Brian every time he did it. It took him everything he had not to recoil from the touch, but it was Rowe’s next words that really made his skin crawl. 

“When we have our first time together, I want it to be special,” he murmured. “It will be - I know it.” He smiled at Brian dreamily. “I can’t wait.”

Brian’s whole body had tensed as Rowe had leaned over him and touched him and he knew his eyes must have been wide as he stared up at Rowe with barely concealed disgust and horror. 

He had to get away from him: he had to escape. He couldn’t stand this and he couldn’t keep lying there waiting for Rowe to finally snap and go too far, cross a line that neither of them could come back from. 

***

Dom had gone down to the garage and tried to busy himself in the back office. Vince had dared approach and ask what was going on and Dom had sent him away with one of his looks and a grunt. 

He’d woken up early - not that he’d managed to get much sleep anyway - and headed out in his car: roaming the streets, looking for any sign of Brian. There had been nothing and he’d cursed his own foolishness for hoping that he’d just stumble across him, wandering down the street. He’d eventually given up and headed into work. 

Once he’d got there, he’d bitten the bullet and called one of the few people who Brian viewed as a genuine friend: Roman Pearce. It had been a weird conversation because Dom wasn’t exactly Pearce’s number one fan and the feeling was mutual, but he was the only person that Dom could think of that Brian might have reached out to if he needed to get away from LA. A trip to Miami was a long shot, but maybe Brian was desperate for some space. It didn’t come as much of a surprise that Pearce hadn’t heard from Brian and it equally wasn’t a surprise that the mouthy asshole starting ranting about what Dom had done wrong to drive Brian away. Dom had sighed heavily and told Pearce he’d been in touch if he needed him and that his priority was finding Brian in one piece, so if he heard anything - regardless of what he thought of Dom - he needed to contact him. Pearce had still been running his mouth when Dom hung up on him. 

It was just after lunch when a car that could only belong to a cop pulled onto the garage forecourt. Leon whistled a warning in Dom’s direction and he made his way out of the office to find Sergeant Tanner standing beside his car, eyeing Dom with barely concealed suspicion. 

“Toretto,” Tanner said in greeting.

“Sergeant Tanner, what can I do for you?” Dom replied.

He could do polite. He could do respectful. Tanner had put his own neck on the line when he’d backed Brian’s desire to rejoin the LAPD after the whole shit-show with the hijackings and Brian’s part in Dom’s escape, so Dom felt he owed him a certain amount of respect. Maybe even gratitude because it had gone a long way to making Brian happy. And there was something about Tanner turning up today of all days, when Brian had been gone for over forty-eight hours that had Dom even more unsettled, but willing to hear him out. 

“I was hoping you might be able to help me locate Brian,” Tanner replied. He was watching Dom closely, scrutinising him, like maybe he expected Dom to flinch or start acting shifty at the mention of his name. 

Dom’s first reaction was he felt his heart rate pick up. He wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Brian’s absence. If he hadn’t felt like something was wrong before, he definitely did now. 

“I don’t know where he is,” he admitted. He could feel Vince and Leon’s eyes on him as they stood inside the garage clearly listening in. “I haven’t seen him since Sunday night.”

Tanner clenched his jaw. “And what happened Sunday night?”

Dom huffed out a breath. “We argued. He stormed off in his car. I haven’t heard anything from him since then.”

Tanner glared at him. “He didn’t show up for his shift last night and he didn’t call in. His partner hadn’t heard anything from him about why he might be missing his shift. And that’s not like Brian.”

Dom knew it wasn’t like Brian. He didn’t need Tanner there telling him. He didn’t need yet another thing that made dread pool in his stomach because where the fuck was Brian? What was going on? 

When he didn’t reply, Tanner took a step towards him. He looked pissed off.

“You know, when I found out that Brian had shacked up with you, my first thought was that it was a terrible idea. I couldn’t understand what he was thinking. But part of me, a pretty big part if I’m being honest, thought that it was best thing he could’ve done. He’s not so good at looking after himself, that kid. And from what I know about you, and what Brian’s told me, you look after your own. You put the ones you care about above everything else.” Tanner paused then and his frown deepened a little. “But now I’m wondering if my initial thoughts were right.” He looked disappointed and Dom bristled under his critical eye. “Because he’s out there somewhere and you haven’t even bothered to check in with him to make sure he’s okay. I don’t know what’s gone on between you, but that doesn’t sound much like the person Brian tried to tell me you are.”

“I’ve checked, Tanner,” Dom growled. He wasn’t going to stand there and be told off like some kid by the man that Brian looked up to like a father-figure. The scowl on his face would’ve sent a weaker man running, but Tanner just stared him down. “He doesn’t want to know.” He hated admitting it out loud; hated admitting to himself that Brian wasn’t interested in talking to him, that he’d done too much damage and pushed him too far away. Because that was what he feared. “I tried calling him,” he forced out, hardly wanting to look Tanner in the eye. “He rejected the call.”

Tanner seemed to digest what he’d said and then he shook his head. “And then what? You gave up after one call?”

“Fuck you,” Dom ground out. “Of course I didn’t. I’ve called him. I’ve been out looking. I even called that asshole friend of his out in Miami, just in case he’d been in contact. Nothing.” Dom slashed his hand through the air. “I’ve got nothing.”

And he wasn’t sure he’d ever said a truer word because, without Brian, he felt like he had nothing, like he was nothing. He felt like he was going to unravel at any moment. Tanner’s arrival and the news that Brian hadn’t turned up for his shift and his sergeant’s anger about Dom’s apparent lack of concern were making Dom feel like he was going to lose it. 

“You’ve got plenty, Toretto,” Tanner said calmly, cutting through his anguish. “You’ve got people all over this city. People who will help you out. People who can cover a lot more ground than a couple of beat cops in a cruiser.”

He stepped right up to Dom then, staring straight into his eyes almost like he was assessing him. 

“If you’re the man he says you are, you’ll find him and you’ll bring him home.”


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the amazing feedback! I’m going to try to keep up with updates but (unfortunately) schools have gone back here so I’m back at work and super busy again!

Dom could have quite happily punched himself in the face after Tanner’s visit to the garage.

He’d been so caught up in his own pride and fear that maybe Brian had actually left him that he hadn’t got his shit together and acted sooner. He’d known it was weird that Brian had disappeared. He’d known it was out of character for him. He’d known that Brian wouldn’t just run away like that. But, apart from a few attempts to call him and driving around for a few hours looking for him, he hadn’t put much effort into actually doing anything about it. 

But Tanner’s words were like a catalyst. They were like a slap to the face or a bucket of ice water being thrown over him.

Brian was missing. 

And Dom needed to find him. 

He’d do whatever it took to get him back. He’d known that all along and he was furious with himself that he’d needed any sort of nudge in the right direction. He couldn’t believe he’d waited so long before he’d done anything. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t started searching for Brian the moment he hadn’t come back through the door the morning after their fight. 

If his own stubbornness had caused Brian to suffer, he’d never forgive himself. 

As soon as Tanner had driven away from the garage - with one last long, meaningful glare at Dom - Dom had done what he should have done days before. He ordered Leon and Vince to close the garage and got straight on his phone. He called a few people who he knew would help, and a few who owed him favours, and he instructed them to contact anyone else they could think of that might help. It was like a call to arms and, within half an hour of Tanner’s visit, Dom could hear engines roaring to life and tearing off down streets as people responded to the request for assistance. 

Brian might have been convinced that people only accepted him because of Dom and he might think that he didn’t have any of his own friends, but the reactions of the people around Dom in that moment proved how wrong he was. People cared about him, even if they weren’t all that good at showing it. Brian was one of them and, as Tanner had reminded him, they looked after their own. Dom looked after his own. 

Leon and Vince patted him on the back before they clambered into their own cars. Vince gave him a knowing look - one of those silent promises that they’d sort this - and Dom felt a little of the weight lift from his shoulders. He was a fool for not doing this sooner. He should have trusted his friends to help him without question.

For a long moment, he stood by his car and stared down the street. Brian was out there somewhere and Dom was going to find him. 

***

Brian was in no hurry to wake up. He was having the best dream: him and Dom, in their bed. With the evening sunshine spilling through the window and warming Brian’s skin, Dom was straddling his hips, pinning him down with one hand around his wrist, while the other hand pushed up his shirt and stroked across his stomach. He moaned softly into the feeling and pushed his hips up a little, seeking some friction against his dick. The hand on his exposed skin brushed over his ribs and he sighed.

“Dom,” he breathed out and his eyelids fluttered open. 

“No, I told you, you don’t need to worry about him anymore,” Rowe said quietly as he stared down at Brian’s chest. 

A harsh breath rushed out of Brian as he snapped awake and realised that his reality was nothing like his dream. It wasn’t Dom on top of him; it was Rowe pressing him down into the mattress. 

His eyes widened and his breathing sped up in his panic. He wanted so badly to strike out and hit Rowe just to get him off him, to get him away, to stop him touching him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t anger Rowe again and he couldn’t risk getting himself further restrained. 

Only that morning Rowe had seemed so disturbed by the idea of doing anything to Brian while he was passed out and without his consent, and yet here he was touching Brian, straddling him in what could only be viewed as a sexual position, and clearly thinking it was okay. 

Slowly, Brian reached out with his free hand and stilled Rowe’s fingers as they trailed up his side. He wasn’t sure how best to handle this moment after what had happened earlier in the day. 

That morning had been a mess. After Rowe had fixed up his wrist and sat chatting away like everything was completely normal, Brian had tried to reason with him. 

He’d tried to get Rowe to see how crazy his actions were, how his plan would never work, but Rowe had been insistent that everything would be fine because he loved Brian. 

“This isn’t love. Locking me up and keeping me here...it isn’t love,” Brian had said desperately. He’d needed Rowe to understand that this couldn’t ever work. 

“That’s only until you see,” Rowe had replied stubbornly.

“See what?”

“See that we belong together. That we’re meant to be together. And then you’ll be happy - I promise. You’re all I want, Brian. I’m doing all of this for you.”

“I’ll never be able to love you,” Brian had replied simply. He’d taken a deep breath because he’d known that what he was about to say would make Rowe angry, but he’d never deny it. “I love Dom. And he loves me. I want to be with _him_ , not you.”

“You just need to give it time,” Rowe had said, but Brian had seen the way his face had hardened at his declaration. 

“No, I don’t. Rowe, you’re not listening to me. I’m in love with Dom.” He’d been angry - so disgusted at Rowe’s actions and furious that he’d been fooled so easily. He’d wanted to hurt Rowe and seeing as he’d not had much success with a physical attack, he’d decided a verbal one would do. Hours of being locked up and scared of what Rowe would do had driven him to a moment of reckless madness of his own. 

“How could I ever want you? Especially after this?” He’d spat angrily. “You drugged me to get me here. You betrayed my trust. I don’t want to be here - I don’t want to be anywhere near you. And you know that because otherwise you wouldn’t have chained me up.”

“Shut up,” Rowe had snapped. It had been the first time that Brian had seen him really start to lose his cool. “Just stop. You don’t mean any of this. I know you just need time. I know you’ll love me soon, like I love you. You’ll see.”

“You need to let me go. This isn’t going to work. You could keep me here for years and I’d never love you. How could I? You’re a fucking psycho!”

Rowe’s nostrils had flared, his eyes had flashed, and suddenly he’d struck out to backhand Brian across the face. Brian’s head had snapped to the side with the force of the blow and when he’d lifted his face again to glare at Rowe, he’d looked wild for a moment. It had scared Brian more than anything else since he’d arrived. In that moment, he’d wondered what Rowe might do to him, how far he’d go in a fit of rage. 

“Look what you made me do!” Rowe had shouted. He’d spun away, gripping at his own hair angrily, before he’d turned back to face Brian. 

He’d leant forward and Brian had pulled away, only to have Rowe grasp his chin and turn his face back as he closely inspected what was surely a red mark across Brian’s cheek. 

As Rowe had peered at him, Brian had looked away to the side, refusing to meet Rowe’s eyes. He’d suddenly thought of Shannon. It wasn’t the same situation, but the only way she’d escaped her abuser was because he’d killed her. Morbidly, he’d wondered if that was how he’d get out of his own dire situation - in a body bag.

“I wonder how many times Shannon’s husband said that to her,” he’d said quietly. “He claimed to love her too. I bet he told her it was her fault every time after he beat her.”

Rowe had pulled back abruptly and stared down at Brian.

“I...I think we both need some rest,” he’d said eventually. “I’ve been on the night shift, remember? I need to get some sleep.”

Brian hadn’t spoken again and he hadn’t looked at Rowe as he’d walked out of the door, closing it behind him. 

Only when he’d gone had he lifted his free hand to carefully cup his painful cheek. 

As he lay on the bed, with Rowe on top of him, he wondered if Rowe had completely lost control. Maybe he’d run out of patience already. Maybe hitting Brian earlier on had flipped some sort of switch in his head and now he’d decided he could do whatever he wanted to his captive. 

“Liam...” he forced out. “What...what are you doing?”

It seemed to take Rowe a long time to focus on Brian’s words. Eventually, he looked up at his face and smiled dreamily. 

“You...you just looked so beautiful when I walked in. So peaceful. I just...I love you so much.”

Brian stared up at him. He felt sick. He felt like his skin was crawling and like he’d never be clean again. And that was when he knew what he had to do. 

He’d already decided that he had to play along with Rowe and his deluded make-believe world. He couldn’t get free by escaping his restraints. He couldn’t overpower Rowe while he was tied up. He had to get out by tricking Rowe into letting him loose. He’d known it was the obvious plan all along, but the idea of actually doing it was awful. 

Gently, he squeezed Rowe’s fingers and he smiled up at him, hoping it looked genuine. 

“I...I thought you wanted our first time to be special,” he made himself say, despite the words feeling like they’d choke him. 

Rowe blinked a few times and then he smiled a little shyly. 

“Of course I do,” he replied. 

“Well...I want that too,” Brian told him. 

“Really?” Rowe asked and his whole face lit up in a beaming grin. “Do you really mean it?”

Brian nodded against the pillow as best as he could. “Not like this though,” he said, making sure he looked appropriately sad at the prospect of having sex with Rowe while he was restrained like he was. “This isn’t special.” 

Rowe’s expression softened. “I knew you’d understand eventually.”

“I don’t want to do it like this though,” Brian told him. “This isn’t right...it’s not how I pictured it: me tied up like this and...I haven’t even had a shower in days. I need to get freshened up properly.”

Rowe nodded in understanding and Brian couldn’t believe how crazy he was: Brian had been screaming and shouting at him only that morning; Rowe had hit him in a rage; Brian had blatantly been trying to escape; he’d told Rowe he’d never love him or want him. And now, just a few hours later, Rowe was apparently completely convinced that Brian wanted to sleep with him after a few words and a well-placed smile. It was ridiculous and dangerous at the same time because Rowe was clearly swinging wildly between moods and emotions, and if Brian made one wrong move, he wasn’t sure how Rowe would react. 

“You’re right,” Rowe practically purred at him. “I need to do the same.” 

He leant forward then, more of his body pressing down against Brian’s chest and stomach. “I’m so happy,” he murmured and before Brian could reply, Rowe had pressed his lips against Brian’s. 

Brian wanted to push him away, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t give himself away. He endured the kiss, trying not to twist away when Rowe threaded his fingers into his hair and moaned softly. It seemed unimaginable that Rowe couldn’t tell that Brian wasn’t enjoying it, that he didn’t notice that Brian wasn’t kissing him back. 

Rowe leant further forward again and Brian could feel the hard line of his erection through his pants, pressing against his stomach. It was too much. He tore his mouth away from the insistent pressure of Rowe’s lips, turning his head to the side. 

Rowe hovered above him, watching him with darkened eyes.

“Not like this,” Brian managed to say. He felt breathless, but definitely not because he’d been enjoying himself. “Please, Liam.” He hated having to practically beg the man on top of him, but he had no choice. 

Rowe gave him a gentle smile. “Alright,” he murmured. “I just can’t help myself.” He moved back and then manoeuvred himself off Brian and off the bed. 

Brian drew in a ragged, relieved breath as soon as his weight had moved. 

“Not sure I can wait until tomorrow,” Rowe muttered almost as though he was talking to himself as he adjusted the front of his pants. 

Brian scrambled to sit upright, pulling his shirt down as he moved, to cover himself up and try to wipe away the feeling of Rowe’s hands on his skin.

“Tomorrow? What do you mean?”

Rowe sighed. “I’ve got a shift starting soon, haven’t I? I want us to take our time, enjoy ourselves, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

Brian couldn’t wait another day to get out of there. He couldn’t stay tied to that bed for another day. He hardly wanted to wait another minute before he could get away. 

“Call in sick,” he blurted out.

Rowe’s eyebrows raised. “What? Are you serious?”

“You just said you didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. Well...neither do I. Come on, Liam. Do it for me. Please.”

It must have been exactly the right thing to say because Rowe’s expression was one of sheer contentment as he smiled at Brian. 

“I’d do anything for you,” he said and it seemed like he’d momentarily slipped into some sort of trance as he gazed at Brian, before he snapped out of it again. “Okay, I’ll go and call the precinct and then get a shower. Then it’ll be your turn. And then we’ll have the rest of the night to ourselves.”

Brian forced another smile onto his face. 

“That sounds perfect,” he replied. 

Rowe hurried out of the room and Brian slumped back against the headboard. He had a plan now and no matter what, he was getting out of there in the next few hours. He just had to keep Rowe onside for long enough to get the restraints removed and then he was as good as free. 

Downstairs, he could hear Rowe’s muffled voice as he obviously made his call to work. He looked towards the bedroom window. It was funny how he’d lost track of time a little over the last few days seeing as he didn’t have a watch and there was no clock in the room, but the sun was low in the sky and Rowe had mentioned his shift so he knew it was well into the evening. In reality, he’d only been trapped with Rowe for a few days, but it felt like a lifetime. 

Outside, he heard the throaty rumble of an engine driving slowly down the street. He pictured some American muscle car, maybe a Charger, but it wasn’t the right engine note. And of course, his thoughts turned once again to Dom. He wondered if Dom was missing him. He wondered if he’d been looking for him. He wondered if time had dragged by so painfully slowly for Dom as it had for him. 

He heard Rowe come back up the stairs and head straight into the bathroom, and then the water for the shower turned on. 

Brian could wait: he’d be patient. There was no point trying anything yet. He’d get his moment. 

***

In the end it was Letty, of all people, who got the first lead on Brian’s whereabouts. At first, Dom hadn’t known whether to involve her in the search, but when it came down to it, he had always trusted her, knew he could rely on her, and despite her initial anger about Dom’s relationship with Brian, he’d known that she would rise above that and do what she could to help. 

She’d called him as the afternoon turned to evening and the streets had been buzzing with the sounds of engines and chatter for several hours. 

Her call had been blunt as usual: she’d found Brian’s car, in the parking lot of a bar not all that far from Dom’s house. She’d reeled off the information, saying she’d wait by the car until Dom arrived, and that she’d call Vince and Leon and tell them to get down there too. 

Dom hadn’t been able to stop his heart racing at the news, but he needed to rein it in: he couldn’t get ahead of himself and let his hopes get the better of him. Brian’s car being found was not the same as Brian being found. 

When he arrived in the parking lot, sure enough, there was Letty, standing beside Brian’s car. His stomach twisted at the sight of it as he parked up and climbed out of his own car. 

How long had it been sitting here? Had it really been here, mere minutes away from his home, the whole time that Brian had been missing? And, most importantly, if the car was here, where the hell was Brian? 

Dom couldn’t wait for anyone else to arrive - every second felt like time he was wasting now - so he made his way into the bar. It was pretty quiet seeing as it was only early evening and the bartender looked up at them as he walked in, Letty close behind. 

“There’s a Skyline out in the lot,” Dom began without preamble. “Do you know where the owner is?”

The bartender held up his hands and raised his eyebrows, and Dom realised that he probably looked like he was about to murder someone. “Hey, I don’t want any trouble, man. The car’s been out there for days.”

“Do you know where the owner is?” Dom repeated.

“Nah, man. Some tall, white dude came in the other night, had a few drinks and then left. When the car was still there, we checked the camera - the car’s his, but he never came back for it,” the bartender told him. 

“How did he leave then?” Letty asked. 

“He was with his friend. He’d had too much to drink so his buddy helped him out, said he’d get him home safe.”

“His friend?” Dom asked. That didn’t make any sense: anyone who knew Brian would have taken him back to the house or at least let Dom know where he was, especially now he had half the neighbourhood out looking for him. 

“Yeah,” the bartender said with a shrug. “Tall guy, dark hair. Came in after the one who owns the car but bought him a drink and they were talking for a while. The other guy, the one with the car, got smashed pretty quick so I guess he’d been drinking before he got here. He wanted to leave but when he got up, he was all over the place. I offered to call a cab, but the second guy said he’d got it. Said he was a cop so he’d got experience...”

“A cop?” Dom ground out, cutting the bartender off.

It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water down his back as he registered the words. 

“What did he look like?” he asked immediately. 

The bartender looked worried, like he’d said something wrong. 

“What did he look like?” Dom practically yelled as he slammed his hand against the bar. 

“Uh, tall, like I said. Taller than the first guy. Thin - kind of gangly looking. He had dark hair. I don’t remember much else. But they were friends...no, wait...the blond guy...the one with the car, he said something about they were partners.”

“Rowe,” Dom snarled. 

His hands were clenched into fists and he could feel himself practically vibrating with pent up rage. He didn’t need to hear anything else. 

As he rushed out of the bar, Leon and Vince were just pulling into the lot, but Dom didn’t slow down as he ran to his car. 

“Hey!” Vince shouted as he jumped out of his own car. “Dom! What’s going on?”

“I know who’s got Brian,” Dom replied, one leg inside his car, ready to go.

“What? What do you mean who’s got him?”

“It’s Rowe!” Dom snapped, desperate to move and do something, his patience hanging by a thread. “It’s fucking Rowe. It’s been him all along!”

“Rowe?” Leon echoed in confusion. 

Dom wanted to scream at them. They couldn’t wait any longer. He didn’t have time for them to catch up. “He’s got him! We need to move now!”

“Dom!” Letty ran over to him and grabbed the car door. “Stop and think! You can’t just go tearing off. Just think! You might know who but you don’t know where. We need to spread the word.”

Dom glared at her and anyone weaker might have been cowed by his furious expression, but Letty had clearly spent too long around him to let it bother her. She just glared back. And then Dom realised that she was right. They had to figure out where Rowe might be keeping Brian and then what to do about it, how to act.

He released a long, steady breath. 

“I know what we need to do,” he said, surprising himself with how calm he sounded.

***

When Rowe walked back into the bedroom, Brian plastered the false smile onto his face again. He’d been psyching himself up the whole time that Rowe had been busy elsewhere and he was ready. He was getting out of there.

Fortunately, Rowe still seemed to be in the same delighted, almost giddy, mood he’d been in from the moment Brian had woken up to find him on top of him. He was clearly on a high from Brian’s apparent change of heart, and Brian could hardly believe how easily he’d fallen for the lie. Maybe that was all part of his delusion - Brian didn’t care: it didn’t matter as long as it helped him get away. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Rowe asked as he stepped closer to the bed.

Brian nodded. He’d sat himself up on the bed in preparation for Rowe’s return. When he looked at him, he wondered what had gone wrong in his head. Standing beside the bed, he looked totally normal. He wasn’t unattractive, he was in good shape, he’d seemed like a nice enough guy. He could have easily found himself a girlfriend or boyfriend, but instead he’d fixated on Brian and become obsessed with him for some reason. Brian didn’t think he’d ever understand why or what he’d done to attract such attention. He almost felt sorry for Rowe as he stared up at him, but then he remembered the last few days, and the effort that Rowe had put into getting close to Brian and causing problems between him and Dom, and any feelings of pity rapidly dispersed. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. Just...you know...keen to get on with things,” Brian replied.

Rowe beamed at the words and then reached into his back pocket and whipped out a switchblade, flicking it open in one movement.

Instantly, Brian’s stomach dropped as his heart rate picked up. Had he misjudged Rowe completely? Had he been the one who’d been fooled into thinking he’d won Rowe over? Was Rowe about to kill him because he’d tried to trick him?

“What...Liam...”

Rowe looked at the knife and then at Brian’s stricken face. He closed the knife and shoved it back into his pocket before he reached out to Brian and ran his hand over his head tenderly.

“Oh, Brian. Don’t be silly,” he said like he was talking to a child. “I’d never hurt you.” 

Knowing that those words were far from the truth, Brian could do nothing except stare up into his eyes. He hardly dared breathe for fear that Rowe might flip from the doting lover to a psychotic murderer at the slightest provocation.

Rowe stepped back again and moved down the bed towards Brian’s feet as he pulled the knife from his pocket. 

“I need something to cut the zip-ties, don’t I?” he asked as he sliced through the plastic in one quick stroke. 

Brian sucked in a harsh breath as he watched Rowe tuck the knife away again. Then he wiggled his feet and rolled his ankles to get some feeling back. It felt odd to have his legs free but he tried not to let his elation at the sensation show. 

He was one step closer to freedom.

“Now, we just need to get those cuffs off you and you can get a shower. I bet you’re looking forward to it, aren’t you?” Rowe continued talking like everything was totally normal, like it was normal to have to untie your partner before they went to get a shower, or you went to bed together. Brian had never really been interested in the idea of being tied up during sex and, after his ordeal with Rowe, he knew he definitely never would be. 

Rowe reached into the front pocket of his pants and pulled out the key to the cuffs. Brian tried to hold back his excitement at seeing that tiny bit of metal - the thing that would release him from this nightmare. He felt like he was practically vibrating with anticipation and he hoped that Rowe was besotted enough to think he was just keen to get started with other activities. 

Rowe reached out, leaning over Brian’s body, and wiggled the cuffs so that they were easier to access from the angle he was on. There was a click and the cuff attached to the headboard fell open. Immediately, Brian’s left arm fell to the mattress and he massaged his wrist, wincing a little at the red marks and bruising on his skin. 

Rowe clambered off the bed and smiled at him as Brian swung his legs over the side. He took a moment to assess his situation: he needed to think and he needed to get his strength up as much as possible in order to tackle this final hurdle. One wrist was bandaged and still painful as the skin split open every time he moved. His other arm felt heavy and his fingers felt numb. His legs hadn’t supported his weight for a couple of days and he could already feel cramp setting into his muscles as he rested his feet on the floor. In the last few days, he’d hardly eaten anything, not wanting to touch anything that Rowe had made, so he’d lived on a couple of bags of potato chips, which meant he felt weaker than he’d have liked and he knew that whatever burst of adrenaline kicked in would have to be enough to keep him going. But despite all of that, despite the odds being against him, he was determined to take his chance, determined to get away from Rowe - whatever it took. 

He drew in a deep breath. 

“Come on then,” Rowe said as he beckoned Brian to stand up. He didn’t seem to be concerned that Brian probably wasn’t on top form and ready to be jumping up to hurry straight for a shower, or maybe he just hadn’t noticed. 

Taking another breath, Brian pushed himself up and forced himself, through sheer willpower, not to sway on his feet. He wouldn’t let Rowe see that he was weak; he didn’t want any help from him. 

Rowe held out his hand in the direction of the door and Brian knew he intended him to go first. He took the first few steps slowly, weighing up his options. He could make a run for it, but he didn’t know the layout of Rowe’s house which put him at yet another disadvantage. Even if he was fast enough to get away from Rowe, he still might end up trapped by taking a wrong turn or meeting a locked door. 

His only option was to overpower Rowe, put him down for long enough that he could find his way out. He clenched his fist. He heard the loose end of the handcuffs clink as they dangled from the end that was still attached to his wrist. In releasing him from the headboard, but leaving the cuff still fastened around Brian’s wrist instead of dangling from the bed, Rowe had inadvertently handed him a weapon. 

Brian clenched his jaw. 

“It’s the door on the right,” Rowe said from behind him.

And Brian spun around to face him. He swung his left hand up and whipped Rowe across the face with the open end of the handcuffs. Rowe cried out in shock and pain as the metal sliced into his cheek and he staggered backwards clutching his face.

The look of shock vanished as he all but snarled as Brian rushed towards him. Before Rowe could recover from the initial attack, Brian swung his fist into his face, knocking him backwards again. His whole arm felt like it was on fire after the blow, but it didn’t stop him punching Rowe again. 

Somehow, Rowe powered through the pain and he lunged at Brian, slamming his shoulder into Brian’s stomach and sending him tumbling backwards onto the bed. 

“You liar!” Rowe roared as he pinned him down and wrapped his hands around Brian’s throat. “How _could_ you?”

Desperately, Brian’s fingers clawed at the hands around his neck. He watched wide-eyed and choking as Rowe reached back into his pocket and pulled out the knife. 

This was it: Rowe was going to stab him or cut his throat and this was where he was going to die, bleeding out on this bed that had been his prison for days. 

Rowe was a man possessed. He was unrecognisable as the person who Brian had befriended: his eyes were dark and wild, his skin was flushed and red and his cheek was covered in blood where Brian had slashed at him, spit flew from his lips as he raged down at Brian. 

“I’ll make you see!” he yelled at him. 

Brian was sure he heard banging from somewhere in the house but maybe it was just his heart pounding in his ears. 

He wasn’t going to die like this: he wouldn’t let Rowe win.

With all his strength, he slammed his knee up into Rowe’s groin. His attacker howled in agony and staggered off the bed, hunched over. The knife went flying out of his hand and clattered onto the floor. Brian took one desperate, agonising breath and pushed himself up. He grabbed Rowe by the hair and drove his knee up into his face. There was a sickening crunch and Brian shoved him backwards. Rowe stumbled and fell, hitting his head on the nightstand as he went. And then he was still. 

Brian just stared at him for a long moment, dragging in ragged, painful breaths. He couldn’t feel anything and everything around him seemed silent. There was no sound from outside on the street and no noise coming from Rowe. 

He just stared at him. He couldn’t even bring himself to care if he was alive or dead.

Then a thundering racket from somewhere close by broke into Brian’s calm. 

“ _Brian_ ,” someone gasped, and he spun around to find Dom staring at him wide-eyed, Vince and Leon standing just behind him in the doorway. “Fuck,” Dom swore softly. 

Brian didn’t move. He couldn’t. He felt frozen in place. But Dom moved to him. He hurried forward at first and then stopped himself before he touched him. Vaguely, he wondered what he looked like to Dom, what his face and posture was telling him. 

“Brian,” Dom said quietly. “It’s going to be okay now.”

He nodded once and Dom enveloped him in his arms. Brian leant against him and clutched at the back of his shirt like he might disappear if he didn’t hold on. He hadn’t realised he was shaking until he felt the solidness of Dom’s body against his own.

They stayed like that for a long time, until Dom leant back and held Brian gently at arms length, his eyes roaming over every inch of Brian. Dom lifted his hand and Brian flinched back. He couldn’t help it: he didn’t want Dom to stroke his hand over the side of his head, through his hair, like Rowe had done so many times. 

He felt dirty and wrong in so many ways and he didn’t want to be there anymore. His fight with Rowe and Dom’s arrival had left him overwhelmed and suddenly more tired than he’d ever been in his whole life. 

Without thinking, he lifted his own hand to scrub at his face and frowned as there was a clink of metal and a low hiss from Dom. 

“Jesus Christ,” Dom cursed, his voice low and his eyes on the handcuffs dangling from Brian’s wrist - a clear sign of how he’d been held against his will. “Vince, find the key and get these goddamn things off him.” 

Brian watched as Dom scowled at the offending handcuffs. He’d almost forgotten about them and as much as he hated them, he couldn’t deny they’d helped him fight Rowe in the end. 

Feeling like he was floating above it all, watching from outside his body, Brian observed as Vince immediately went to check Rowe’s pockets for the key. He patted him down and stuck his hand into each one until he pulled the key out. Rowe didn’t move at all and Brian still wasn’t sure whether he was even breathing. 

Vince closed the gap and silently handed the key to Dom, who gently took Brian’s hand in his and undid the cuffs. They fell to the floor with a heavy clunk and Brian drew in a deep, shuddering breath. Dom didn’t let go of his hand, cradling it between his own instead. 

“Can we...can we get out of here?” Brian asked quietly. 

He looked up from their hands and straight at Dom’s face. 

It was Dom’s turn to draw in a deep breath. He looked like he was doing his best to hold everything together. 

He nodded at Brian. “Yeah...come on. Let’s get you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end...


	10. 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, sorry for the slightly longer wait for an update - work has been absolutely manic and I’ve not had much time for writing, but I really wanted to get this chapter done.   
> Thank you for the lovely feedback on the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too.

Dom led Brian down the stairs and through the house to the kitchen, where the back door was hanging off its hinges thanks to them slamming their way inside. He kept glancing back at Brian, needing to check that he was still there and wanting to make sure he was still upright.

Looking beyond Brian, he watched as Vince and Leon followed them closely, and saw Leon briefly pause by the kitchen counter. He looked up at Dom grimly and nodded once, then scooped up what looked like a set of car keys, a wallet and a cell phone: Brian’s belongings Dom realised with a shudder. Everything about what he had witnessed in this house had made his skin crawl. Knowing that Brian had been held captive here, seeing the handcuffs still around his wrist and the obvious signs of physical abuse made Dom simultaneously want to carry Brian out of the building and never let him go, and march back up the stairs and beat that bastard, Rowe, to death. 

Every time Dom looked back at Brian, he couldn’t help but worry. Brian looked pale and exhausted, but he knew that was to be expected after what he’d gone through. But it was the almost hollow look in his eyes that scared Dom. He’d never seen Brian like that before; he’d never seen him looking so lost, so defeated. Brian was the strongest person that Dom knew - the look on his face as Dom had rushed into the bedroom and found him standing over Rowe was not an expression he’d ever seen on Brian before.

They made their way out to Dom’s car and Dom hurried to open the passenger side door. Brian didn’t say a word as he slid inside and Dom closed the door carefully. Looking up, he caught Vince and Leon watching him, the concern obvious on both of their faces. 

“What do we do?” Vince asked. 

Dom didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t know what to do for the best. Take Brian to the hospital? Take him to the police station? No, Brian wouldn’t want that. 

“We get him home,” he eventually answered. “And then...” he trailed off because he really didn’t know what came next. He didn’t know how any of them dealt with this. All he knew was that whatever he needed to do, he’d do it for Brian. 

Vince and Leon nodded, both of them looking sympathetic and almost as shaken up as Dom was by what they’d found. 

Dom just gave them a nod in response before he made his way around the car and climbed in. 

It wasn’t all that far to get back to the house, but Dom was sure he spent more of the journey looking over at Brian than he did staring at the road. It felt like it took an age to get home and the silence in the car was painful. Brian still hadn’t said a word by the time they pulled onto the driveway and Dom was sure he hadn’t so much as twitched either. It felt so wrong: Brian was talkative and animated and full of energy, and this version of him was terrifying to witness. 

“We’re home,” Dom said and he felt pathetically redundant as the words left his mouth. 

Brian just opened the door and climbed out. Slowly, he walked up to the front door, with Dom close behind him, but before he reached it, it was yanked open by Mia. She looked fraught with worry and her eyes were wide as they landed on Brian and took in the state of him. 

“Oh, Brian,” she said softly.

Her eyes met Dom’s over Brian’s shoulder and he knew the same things were rushing through her head: what the hell had happened to Brian in the days that he’d been missing? 

“I’m okay,” he replied quietly, and Dom couldn’t help but be surprised by the first words he’d said since they’d left Rowe’s house and also the very blatant lie. 

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you inside.”

Brian nodded and followed Mia into the house. Dom glanced over his shoulder and saw Leon and Vince standing beside their cars on the street. They’d obviously decided to hang back, give them some space, but be there if they were needed, keep watch. Dom had never been so grateful to them in his whole life. 

He walked into the house and quietly closed the door behind him. Mia had led Brian to the couch and he’d sat down at the edge. He was staring at the opposite wall like he was in some sort of trance, lost in his own head. 

Dom didn’t know what to do. He hovered uncertainly by the couch, wondering what to say or how to act, afraid to touch Brian and not wanting to open his mouth in case the wrong words came out. He’d never felt like this before - he’d never felt so useless and so unsure how to act. And he’d never felt so lost in Brian’s presence. 

Mia looked between them and swallowed thickly. She carefully sat down next to Brian on the couch, but didn’t touch him. 

“Can I take a look at your arm?” she asked quietly. 

Dom watched as Brian turned his head and blinked at her, then looked down at his bandaged wrist blankly. There was a line of blood soaking through the bandages and Dom clenched his fists at the knowledge of what must have caused the injury. 

“Yeah,” Brian replied simply. He started picking at the end of the bandage but Mia gently laid her hand on top of his. 

“Let me?” she said gently, and she phrased it as a question so Brian could refuse if he wanted to. 

Brian looked up at her again and nodded once. She didn’t take telling twice: her fingers moved quickly and carefully, unwrapping the dirty bandages. Brian hardly flinched, but Mia sucked her lower lip between her teeth as she revealed the torn skin below the bandages. 

Dom watched on. He could feel his frustration and anger building as the ripped skin appeared, oozing blood again. He knew how Brian’s wrist had ended up like that. He could picture it: Brian desperately trying to get free from the handcuffs that had been holding him; Brian yanking and refusing to give up even if it meant cutting his own skin open. But he didn’t know what had been happening to Brian at the same time. Had he been alone and trying to break free? Or had Rowe been there, doing something that Brian had been desperate to escape? Dom drew in a sharp breath. He had to stop himself going down that route. 

Mia glanced up at him and she looked worried, like maybe she could read exactly what Dom was thinking about. 

And then Dom realised that he needed to focus. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions get the better of him. Not now, not yet. He needed to help Brian. He needed to be practical, like Mia was being. 

“I’ll get the first aid kit,” he said quietly. “Bri...” He waited until Brian looked up at him. “Do you want anything? Something to eat or drink?”

Brian seemed to consider the question carefully as he stared up at Dom. 

“Just...can I have a bottle of water?” he eventually asked. 

Dom nodded and offered him a tight smile. “Sure.”

He made his way to the kitchen and leant his hands against the counter for a moment as he dragged in a deep breath. He could hear Mia talking quietly to Brian in the living room, but Brian wasn’t doing much talking in response. 

This was all so wrong. 

He hadn’t known what to expect when he’d crashed through the door at Rowe’s house: Brian tied up; Brian unconscious; Brian dead. All of the possibilities he’d imagined had been almost too awful to bear, but nothing would have stopped him getting to Brian, no matter what he found when he got there. 

He’d known, deep down, that he was in the right place. He cursed himself for not connecting it all sooner, for not realising the lengths that Rowe would go to.

After the conversation at the bar, he’d been ready to burn the city to the ground to find where Rowe had taken Brian, but when he’d calmed enough to think clearly, he’d called Tanner. The sergeant had been a little suspicious about why Dom wanted Rowe’s address but Dom had managed to hold it together long enough to lie convincingly about Rowe being a good friend to Brian and how he might have crashed there. Tanner had clearly been a little doubtful, but he’d given Dom what he’d needed and then said he’d cover for Brian at work if (when) he didn’t show up for another shift.

When they’d pulled up outside Rowe’s house, Dom had been practically vibrating with pent up rage and anxiety. If they hadn’t found Brian already standing over Rowe’s apparently unconscious form when they’d rushed up the stairs, Dom was sure he’d have killed him. 

He squeezed his eyes closed, blew out a breath and then pushed himself upright. He had to keep it together for Brian - Brian who seemed like a shell of the man Dom loved. Dom shook his head to rid himself of the thought: Brian was stronger than anyone he knew. He was tough. He’d get through this and he’d be alright. But he’d need Dom’s help and he swore to himself in that moment that he’d do whatever it took to bring the bright smile and the carefree laugh and the sparkling eyes back. 

He’d let Brian down once already. Never again. 

He opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out the first aid kit, then moved to the fridge. Brian kept a couple of bottles of water in there for when he went for his longer runs and he reached in and took one out. It seemed like an oddly specific request that he wanted a bottle of water and not just a glass, and Dom stared at the bottle in his hand for a moment. 

And then something clicked into place in his head - something awful that he didn’t want to accept. 

Brian had been at the bar when Rowe had found him. The bartender had said how Brian had seemed wasted, how he’d got drunk pretty quickly, and how Rowe had bought him a drink before ‘helping’ him to head home. 

The plastic bottle crunched in Dom’s fist before he snapped out of his darkening thoughts and loosened his hold on it. Rowe had slipped something into Brian’s drink: he’d drugged him and used his lowered defences to get him out of the bar and back to his place. Dom had always doubted that Brian would have found himself at Rowe’s house willingly and the bartender’s explanation that Brian was so drunk he couldn’t see straight enough to walk out of the bar on his own had seemed wildly out of character as soon as Dom had heard it. But it was only in that moment, as he considered Brian’s specific request for a bottle - a drink that couldn’t be tampered with - that Dom finally put the pieces together. It filled him with rage and fear all over again because he didn’t know what had happened to Brian while he’d been drugged. Swallowing thickly, he wondered if Brian even knew. It was a terrifying thought. 

He couldn’t lose it though. He couldn’t spiral into blind fury and end up saying or doing something that he’d regret. He couldn’t push Brian to tell him what had happened. Brian was home and he was safe and, for now, that was all that mattered. 

Shaking out some of the tension from his shoulders, he walked back into the living room. Mia looked up and she seemed relieved to see him back in the room: maybe she’d run out of platitudes and soft reassurances. Brian looked up at him too and he managed a tight smile when Dom held out of the bottle of water. 

Dom handed Mia the first aid kit and then watched as Brian twisted the lid off the bottle and took a long drink. By the time he’d done, Mia had pulled out several antiseptic wipes and was waiting patiently to start tending to the angry wounds on Brian’s wrist. Brian looked back at her and held out his arm: he seemed to be just reacting to whatever they expected of him, not putting up any protest or complaining or telling Mia not to fuss. And he was still too quiet - it just wasn’t Brian. 

Efficiently, Mia cleaned up his arm, apologising quietly when Brian winced, but other than a few mild flickers of discomfort, he barely moved. His eyes seemed fixed on the opposite wall again as she worked and Dom just stared down at him from beside the couch, unsure whether he wanted Brian to snap out of it and look at him or not. Seeing Brian in some sort of dissociated state wasn’t what he wanted, but he was also terrified that Brian would look up, meet his eyes, and then turn away in disgust when he realised just how badly Dom had let him down. 

“All done,” Mia declared. “I think you should leave it uncovered for now, let the air to it so it can start to heal properly. I don’t think it’s infected, but we’ll keep an eye on it.”

Brian didn’t reply. He looked exhausted as he sat, silent and still, on the couch. 

Dom cleared his throat. “Bri, do you want to go to bed? Try to get some rest?”

He didn’t know what else to suggest, what to say to make this better. He didn’t know what Brian wanted or needed in that moment and he felt utterly useless. But his mom had always said that everything seemed better after a good sleep, so maybe that was a good place to start. 

Brian looked up at him and nodded. He pushed himself a little unsteadily to his feet.

“Thanks, Mia,” he said quietly as he looked down at where was tidying up the first aid supplies. 

She smiled gently. “No problem.” She looked like she wanted to say so much more, and Dom could understand that feeling, but she seemed to swallow down any further words.

Brian turned away and Dom led the way up the stairs. When they reached the bedroom door, Dom paused and turned back to Brian. He’d stopped too and was standing looking unsure of himself on the landing. 

“Can I...” he started and then trailed off. “I need a shower,” he eventually said. “I feel...horrible.”

“Sure,” Dom replied immediately. “Of course. I’ll, um, I’ll bring you some clean clothes, okay?”

Brian nodded once and quietly made his way towards the bathroom, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

Instantly, Dom hated losing sight of Brian. It felt too soon to have him disappearing from his view, and the barrier of the door between them just felt like too much. But he drew in a deep breath and went into the bedroom. He picked out one of Brian’s comfy soft t-shirts, some of his favourite shorts for hanging around the house and a clean pair of boxers, then left the room again. 

The shower was running when he walked back towards the door and he hesitated for a moment. Would Brian want him to go into the bathroom? He’d never questioned that sort of thing before: if one of them was in there having a shower, or brushing their teeth, or even having a piss, the other one would just wander in and they shared the space like it was just where they belonged. But this was different. Brian had been through an awful ordeal and maybe he wouldn’t appreciate the interruption. He clutched the clothes in his hands tightly and then forced himself to loosen his grip and stop overthinking.

Knocking on the door, he leaned a little closer. “Brian, I brought you some clothes. Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Brian replied simply. 

He pushed into the room and placed the clothes on the top of the toilet. Then he turned to face the shower curtain pulled across the bath. 

“I’ll leave them here for you,” he said.

“Thanks,” Brian replied. 

The water was running but Dom couldn’t hear any sounds of movement inside the tub. He wondered if Brian was even moving or if he was just standing beneath the spray. His fingers itched to pull the curtain back - just to check, just to let his eyes roam over Brian’s whole body and ensure he didn’t have some terrible injury that he was hiding, or maybe to confirm his fears because he was sure Brian must have some more marks or bruises on his skin. It was just one more thing that incensed him. But he stopped himself - he wouldn’t invade Brian’s privacy like that. 

“You alright in there?” he asked instead.

There was a long silence and then a quiet “yeah” from behind the curtain.

“I’ll wait outside, okay? You need anything, just shout.”

Brian didn’t reply so Dom quietly left and pulled the door closed behind him. 

He worried the entire time that Brian was hidden away in the bathroom. The shower had run for a long time and Dom had hovered outside the door, then paced up and down, then sat on the end of their bed with the door open for a few minutes, and then gone back to hovering. 

Eventually, after the water must surely have gone cold, the shower had shut off and, a little while later, Brian had emerged, hair still damp, skin pinker than before, but looking clean and more comfortable in his change of clothes. When Dom looked beyond him, he saw his other clothes in a messy pile on the bathroom floor and he was pretty sure he was going to burn them because Brian would never want to wear them again. 

While he looked better for getting freshened up, Brian still looked exhausted and like he didn’t quite know what to do with himself. Dom supposed it was probably the shock of everything finally catching up with him; the rush of adrenaline when he was trying to escape wearing off and leaving him lost and confused and hurting. He had no idea how much physical pain Brian was in and the same went for his mental state. 

“D’you want to get some sleep?” Dom asked as Brian lingered outside the bedroom. 

Brian turned to look at him and offered him a tight smile, before he nodded.

“Come on then,” Dom said as he gestured towards the door, and Brian walked into the room. 

He’d only been gone for a few days, but as Dom followed him inside, it felt like Brian hadn’t been there for an eternity. Dom had slept in their bed alone and, he’d decided that if he had his way, he never would again. 

Brian wandered towards the bed, like he was moving purely by sense memory, sinking down on the mattress on his side of the bed. Dom went to his own side and sat down, leaning against the headboard, as Brian lay down against his pillow and released a long breath. 

Neither of them spoke for a long time. 

Dom wondered if Brian wanted him there or not. Maybe he wanted some space. Maybe he wanted to be alone. He just didn’t know how to ask: the thought that Brian might send him away was almost too painful to imagine. 

“Do you need anything?” Dom eventually asked quietly into the darkness. They hadn’t turned on the light and the room was only lit by the light spilling in from the landing. 

“No, I’m okay,” Brian replied equally as quietly. 

That was another lie, Dom knew. But he wouldn’t challenge him on it. 

“Do you...do you think you’ll be able to get some sleep?” Dom asked instead. 

As if to answer, Brian let out a long yawn. “Feel like I could sleep for a week,” he replied. 

“Do you...do you want me to leave you to it?” Dom asked, trying to keep his voice level.

Brian rolled his head on the pillow and blinked at him a few times. 

“Will you stay until I fall asleep?”

Dom’s heart leapt in his chest. It was such a childlike thing to say, something that made Brian seem so vulnerable. How could he ever refuse?

“Of course,” he murmured. 

He didn’t reach out for Brian, as much as he wanted to, but Brian rolled onto his side to face him. His eyelids were already falling and Dom watched as he gradually drifted off into sleep, his breathing becoming deep and even. He was glad to see him asleep - at least there he would get some peace from what had happened over the last few days, he hoped.

Dom stayed sitting on the bed for a long time. He couldn’t bring himself to move: he didn’t want to leave Brian on his own. But gradually, his thoughts turned to what had led to Brian being hurt and scared and vulnerable in the first place. It was true that he blamed himself - he couldn’t stop silently berating himself for his foolishness and his stubbornness and his pride - but there was someone else who was far more to blame than Dom. 

He couldn’t shake the image of Brian in that room from his head: standing over Rowe, breathing heavily, bruised and bleeding with the handcuffs still around his wrist. He couldn’t stop seeing the wild look in Brian’s eyes when he’d spun around to face them; the way he’d tensed up when Dom had approached him; the way he’d flinched when Dom had reached out to touch him. Brian had been lost in his own head in that tiny moment and Dom had no idea what he’d been battling. 

And it was all because of Rowe. 

Dom could piece together what might have happened. He knew some of it, or at least he’d figured it out, but he didn’t know everything. He didn’t know what Rowe had done to Brian while he’d been restrained or drugged and the terrible possibilities made Dom want to rage and yell and put his fist through a wall.

Or, better still, put his fist through someone’s face. 

Carefully, he climbed off the bed. He lifted the blanket at the bottom of the bed and covered Brian’s body, not wanting to disturb him, but also worrying that he’d be cold. The urge to lean down and kiss the side of his head or stroke his hand over his hair, like he had so many times before when he’d got up before Brian, was like a magnetic force, but he stopped himself. He hadn’t missed how Brian had reacted when he’d reached out to him at Rowe’s house and, as much as it left him cold, he wouldn’t be the reason for any further distress and he wouldn’t risk waking Brian, especially with something that he hadn’t asked for. 

It took him a while to actually leave the room, but eventually he managed it, pulling the door slightly closed behind him, but not all the way. Then he quietly made his way downstairs.

Mia was on the couch talking softly with Vince and Leon who had obviously decided to come inside after giving them some time to get settled. The two of them were standing leaning on various surfaces and looking like they were itching to do something. Dom could empathise with that feeling. 

“How is he?” Mia asked as she looked up at Dom. 

Dom really didn’t know how to answer that question because he didn’t know. All he knew was that Brian wasn’t himself and he hated seeing him like that. 

“Quiet,” he replied gruffly. He wondered if they’d all realise just what that meant: Brian wasn’t the quiet type. He was loud laughter and teasing remarks and cocky comebacks. Quiet wasn’t a word they’d often use to describe him. 

“He’s sleeping,” he added. 

No-one said anything for a long moment. 

“What are we gonna do, Dom?” Vince finally asked. 

Dom looked at him. His arms were folded across his chest, but his jaw was set and his eyes were hard. Dom knew what he was really asking: what are we going to do about Rowe? 

Despite the extremely bumpy start to their relationship, Vince now viewed Brian as part of their family. Neither Brian nor Vince had ever told him what had been said between them after Brian had returned to LA with Dom, but he knew that Vince owed Brian his life and respected him regardless of what he’d done to get close to them. Brian had earned his respect, earned his place in their family, and Vince was almost as protective of his own as Dom was. 

“I need to go back to his house,” Dom said lowly. 

Vince pushed himself upright. “I’m coming with you.”

“It ain’t gonna be pretty,” Dom told him bluntly. 

Vince cocked his head to the side slightly and raised his eyebrow. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Mia stood up and for a moment Dom thought she was going to go off on one about how he couldn’t do this and he had to stay, but she just closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight squeeze. He held onto her, savouring the moment of comfort. 

“I’ll stay here with Brian, make sure he’s okay,” she said simply as she released him, and Dom had never seen her so accepting of his violent intentions. Maybe even she thought that Rowe deserved what was coming to him. 

“Leon, can you stay here? Just...I need someone here, yeah?” he asked as he looked at his friend.

“Course, man. Anything you need,” Leon agreed easily. 

They didn’t need any further discussion; they didn’t need to go over a plan. There was only one goal. 

Dom turned and walked out of the front door, Vince close behind him. He wasn’t coming back until he knew that bastard would never even look at Brian again. 

***

It was the early hours of the morning when Dom and Vince quietly let themselves back into the house. Mia sat upright on the couch, rubbing at her tired eyes. Leon had been peering out of the curtains like he was expecting them, so just nodded as they walked back inside. 

“How is he?” Dom asked immediately. 

“Fine,” Mia replied. “I’ve been up to check on him a couple of times but he’s been asleep. I think he’s exhausted.”

Dom nodded at her in thanks. He was desperate to head up the stairs and see for himself but he didn’t want to just abandon them all after what they’d all done for them that night. 

“Go on,” Vince said as he gave him a slight push. He’d obviously read Dom’s mind. 

Dom looked back at him and nodded once. Vince mirrored the gesture and something silent passed between them. Then Dom turned and quickly made his way up the stairs.

He pushed the bedroom door open and then quietly closed it completely behind him. He made his way across the bedroom and carefully lowered himself down onto the mattress. 

Brian stirred in his sleep and he mumbled something. Then he jolted and his eyes snapped open before he blinked up at Dom. 

“Hey, it’s me. It’s okay,” Dom reassured him. 

Brian just stared up at him for a long moment and he seemed to be trying to calm himself down from his panic. 

Slowly, Brian shuffled a little closer to him and he closed his eyes again. 

“You smell smoky,” he murmured. 

Dom’s heart beat a little faster in his chest. He didn’t want to talk about that now. 

“Sorry...I’ll go and get a shower,” he replied quietly.

Brian’s eyes opened again and his hand reached out. He closed his fingers around Dom’s upper arm. 

“No,” he whispered. “Not yet. Just...just stay here.”

Dom swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. 

“Of course I will,” he replied and he knew his voice sounded more gravelly than usual. He got comfortable on his side, facing Brian. “I’m right here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not the end...


	11. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly delayed update as I’ve had a really rough couple of weeks and writing’s been way down on my list of things to do, but I’ve been grateful for the distraction over the last few days so here we go. Finally.

Brian wasn’t himself. He knew that. He knew it without Mia’s gentle smiles, without Vince and Leon’s looks of pity, without Dom and his hovering and his staring and his careful words and movements. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate their concern, but it was just so...wrong. It felt like they were all tiptoeing around him, waiting for some explosion and maybe they were right to be cautious. Because he felt like something was building inside him; some need to just scream or run or destroy something. 

He couldn’t remember much of the hours after Dom had found him and brought him home. It seemed like a blur of anxious faces and careful hands and gentle words. 

He knew that he’d showered and gone to bed and, somehow, he’d managed to sleep. He didn’t even think he’d woken up until Dom had carefully climbed into their bed and that must have been a sign of how utterly drained he’d been by the whole awful experience. 

Since then, he’d not slept as well. Every night, he woke up several times, expecting to find Rowe standing beside the bed, or find his arm restrained again. Dom was always there, and at Brian’s abrupt, startled awakening, Dom would wake too, murmuring reassurances and soothing Brian like he was a wild animal. Sometimes it worked; other times, Brian had to get up and out of bed. He couldn’t lie there any longer; he couldn’t allow himself to slip back into whatever nightmare his overwhelmed brain had been showing him. Because it wasn’t just a nightmare, was it? It had been real. It was more than a nightmare: it was a memory. The feeling of hands on him, fingers in his hair, waking up to find someone on top of him, drowsily blinking awake and wondering why he felt so confused, wondering what had happened to him in those missing hours. It made his skin crawl and his whole body shudder and he’d jump out of bed, ignoring Dom’s soft calls of his name, and rush out of the room. 

Sometimes he went for a shower, no matter what time of night it was. Sometimes he just locked himself in the bathroom. Sometimes he hurried downstairs and out the back door to sit on the porch and stare up at the sky and breathe in the night air. 

Every time, Dom would wait patiently for him. He’d get up after him and follow him at a distance, somehow giving him space and making him feel comforted all at the same time. He’d talk quietly to Brian, through the bathroom door, or the shower curtain or from the back door as he leaned against the door frame as Brian stared into space. And Brian hated it. He hated Dom having to treat him like he was fragile. He hated knowing that he was the reason for the dark shadows beneath Dom’s eyes. He hated being like this. 

He wasn’t himself because he felt different. Maybe it was him that was wrong. Maybe he was just going to be messed up forever now. 

Maybe it was him that had needed this wake up call. In his dark moments, he couldn’t help but think what a fool he’d been. He couldn’t stop the voice whispering in his head that he’d deserved what had happened because he’d been an idiot. So desperate for friendship and for people to like him. So eager to be the nice guy. And look what it had got him. 

Rationally, he knew it wasn’t his fault and he knew it was still early days. It had only been a couple of days since Dom had brought him home, and he knew that people needed time to heal from traumatic events, but he still hated it. He still blamed himself. And he still just wanted everything to go back to how it was before. 

He sat on the couch in the living room, staring at the TV but not really paying it any attention. When he’d woken up that morning, he’d wondered whether he should go back to work, but the thought had made him want to crawl back under the covers and never leave. Besides, Dom had reassured him that Tanner was covering for him and he didn’t need to worry about work for a while. He got the feeling that if Dom had his way, Brian would never go back. 

He’d been able to hear the muffled sounds of Dom talking to Vince outside - they were tinkering about in the garage - and then suddenly Dom had been standing right in front of him. Brian blinked up at him in surprise, not even sure how long Dom had been standing there. 

“Bri?” Dom asked and there was a hint of concern in his voice. “Are you alright?”

Brian stared at him and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“What’re you doing?” Dom asked.

Brian frowned at him in confusion. Wasn’t it obvious? He was wasting his life away sitting in front of some crappy daytime soap on the TV.

When Brian didn’t reply, Dom glanced down at his arm and Brian followed his gaze. It was only then that he realised that he’d been rubbing at the skin on his wrist, leaving it red and sore. Fortunately, it wasn’t the already scabbed over one that still pulled horribly whenever Brian stretched his arm too far, but it looked as though he was making a mess of the other one too. 

He dropped his hand immediately, looking up at Dom guiltily, like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. He supposed he had. 

He hadn’t even noticed he was doing it. The phantom sensation of the metal cuff against his skin, holding his arm in place, had been there on and off since he’d got home, and for some reason, in that moment, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from trying to get rid of it. 

“Brian? Are you okay?” Dom asked carefully. 

“Of course,” Brian answered far too brightly. He knew it sounded forced, like he was trying too hard, but the idea of Dom seeing what a basket case he was becoming was too much to handle. He was fine; he’d be fine. “Just a bit itchy,” he added as he waved his hand around trying to show how perfectly normal he was being. 

Dom frowned again and looked like he might speak, but Brian beat him to it. 

“What are you up to?” he asked in order to change the subject. 

Glancing back at Brian’s wrist once more, Dom finally focused on him and shrugged. 

“Just fiddling about with the Charger. There’s always something, you know?” 

Without any warning, Brian pushed himself off the couch to stand and Dom actually took a step backwards. It was almost like he didn’t want to crowd Brian, and, despite him meaning well, it irritated Brian somehow. He didn’t want Dom to pussy-foot around him. He wanted things to be normal. 

“Can I give you a hand? I’m bored out of my mind watching daytime TV.” 

In truth, he wouldn’t have been able to tell Dom a single thing that had happened on the show currently on the screen, but Dom wasn’t likely to ask questions.

“Uh, sure,” Dom replied. “If you’re...you know, feeling up to it.”

“Of course I am,” Brian replied and he knew he sounded a little short, but he was sick of this. He was fine and he needed Dom to see that. 

Dom just gave him a tight smile and turned to lead him out of the door. Brian followed: he needed to be normal again.

***

Dom had tried to apologise to Brian the day after he’d come home. When Brian had stirred awake at the feeling of Dom climbing back into bed with him, he’d just wanted to lie there with him and never move, never face the reality of what had gone on. 

Much later that morning, they’d both woken up again and as Brian had pushed himself upright in bed, Dom had frowned and opened his mouth to speak and clearly struggled over what he’d wanted to say. 

And then he’d said he was sorry. 

Brian had blinked at him in surprise, not sure what to do with the words. After all, wasn’t it him that had fucked everything up? Wasn’t it him who had been an idiot and let his guard down and got himself abducted by his crazed stalker? Dom had tried to tell him: Dom had been right all along. Surely, it was Brian who should be apologising. 

“I...I should’ve done more,” Dom managed to say. “I should’ve looked for you sooner. I should’ve known that you wouldn’t just disappear like that. I let you down and...I can’t ever make that up to you. I can’t...I’m sorry, Brian.”

“Don’t,” Brian had replied with a firm shake of his head. “This isn’t on you.”

“But it is,” Dom had argued. He’d pushed himself up off their bed and stood at the other side, staring at Brian. “I knew there was something wrong. And you even told me you felt like you were being watched and I was so wrapped up in my own anger and pride that it didn’t even register with me - not until it was too late. I brushed it aside when it was a huge fucking warning sign surrounded by neon flashing lights and I just ignored it because I was pissed at you and...I let you down...so many times.”

He’d drawn in a ragged breath and rubbed at his face with his hands. And Brian had felt like the worst person in the world because, not only had he got himself into this mess, but he’d dragged Dom into it with him. 

“It’s not your fault,” he’d replied quietly. “I don’t blame you. You tried to tell me and I didn’t listen. I was stupid and blind and...I have no-one else to blame but myself.”

Dom’s face had crumpled at his words and he’d shaken his head desperately. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this,” he’d told him. He’d rounded the bed and stood in front of Brian looking down at him. And then something in his posture and his expression had changed - like he’d seen something on Brian’s face that he didn’t like and it told him to move - and he’d sunk down onto his knees before him. Tentatively, he’d reached out to take Brian’s hand between his own. When Brian hadn’t pulled away, he’d linked their fingers together.

“This wasn’t your fault,” he’d said quietly. “What happened...what he did to you...was unforgivable. You trusted him and he hurt you, and that’s not your fault.”

Brian had just watched him, knowing that Dom was just being kind, trying to make him feel better. Of course he was to blame. He’d made all the wrong moves and he’d paid the price.

“You know that, right?” Dom had asked and he’d looked so earnest, so desperate for Brian to agree with him. 

Brian had nodded once - no wanting to let him down - and then looked away from Dom’s face. He’d stared at their intertwined fingers for a long moment and then pulled his hand free, rubbing at his wrist a little to give his hands something to do and to remind himself that he wasn’t still chained to a bed somewhere. He hadn’t been able to look at Dom again. 

He’d heard the quiet sigh, seen the way Dom’s hands had hovered - not sure what to do for the best - and then watched as he’d pushed himself up from the bedroom floor.

“D’you want something to eat? It’s the middle of the day nearly, but breakfast?” Dom had asked.

It had been on the tip of his tongue to say no, but his stomach had betrayed him by rumbling loudly at that exact moment. It had been in that moment that he’d realised he hadn’t eaten in days, not wanting to accept anything that Rowe had offered for fear that it might be laced with a sedative. 

He’d nodded and glanced up and Dom had offered him a soft smile. 

“I’ll go make something. You can stay here and take it easy.”

“No!” Brian had snapped instantly in response and then wanted to punch himself in the face for his reaction as he saw the shock in Dom’s eyes. “Um...I’ll come down with you. I can’t hide up here forever.” 

If Dom had known why he really wanted to go with him - because he was too scared to eat anything that he hadn’t witnessed being prepared - he hadn’t let on. Brian had hoped he hadn’t - he hadn’t wanted to imagine how hurt Dom would be that he apparently didn’t even trust him to make him food without drugging him. ‘Dom loves you,’ he’d told himself as he’d pushed himself up off the bed to follow Dom downstairs. ‘He’d never hurt you like that.’

But he’d been unable to stop the tiny, irrational doubt in his mind. That voice that told him that he didn’t know what to think anymore; that he didn’t know who to trust; that he’d been stupid to let his guard down and be the nice guy. 

***

“You can talk to me, you know?” Dom said quietly. “You don’t have to deal with this all on your own.”

Brian blew out a huff of air. “Don’t know what you want me to say,” he replied bluntly. He stood with his back to Dom, staring out to the street through the living room window. 

“Anything,” Dom declared from the other side of the room. “Anything you want. Whatever you need to say. You’ve hardly said anything since you came home.”

Brian just shrugged.

“You haven’t told me anything about what happened to you. You haven’t said how you feel. If you want to yell at me to get it off your chest, just do it. I don’t...I hate seeing you keeping everything to yourself.”

Brian turned around to face him then. He could hardly believe that this whole conversation had been inspired by him getting a hair cut. 

When he’d looked at himself in the bathroom mirror that morning, he’d scowled at his messy blond curls. Rowe had seemed to be obsessed with them, constantly running his hands over them or threading his fingers through his hair, and Brian hated the memory of it. He hated the fact that Rowe liked his hair so muchand he hated the idea that Dom, if he ever wanted to touch Brian again, might do the same as Rowe. He couldn’t stand the thought of it. So he’d left the house when Dom had gone off to work and found himself a barber who could deal with his problem. 

He’d returned home with much shorter hair, almost all of the blond and the curls cut away, and feeling lighter than he had in days. Until Dom had walked through the door and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of him. The shock had been obvious, but so was the confusion and concern that immediately flickered over his face. 

And now Dom had turned it into a ‘big deal’ and was practically implying that Brian was having some sort of breakdown. 

“I needed a hair cut,” Brian said simply. 

Dom pressed his lips together. 

“Why?” he asked quietly. “Why now? All of a sudden.”

“Time for a change,” Brian replied with another shrug, trying to be casual. 

Dom drew in a deep breath. “Because of him?” he eventually asked. 

Brian narrowed his eyes at him. He wanted to tell Dom to fuck off, to leave it alone. He wanted to walk away. But he knew Dom; he knew he wouldn’t stop asking. 

With his jaw clenched, and his hands trembling as they curled into fists at his sides, he nodded. “Yes. Alright? I got it cut because of him. He...he liked my hair. He touched it...a lot. And I didn’t want to be reminded.”

Dom was silent for a long time. 

Brian almost wanted to say, ‘See? This is why I didn’t say anything before because I didn’t want you to look like that’.

“I’m glad you told me,” Dom said quietly. 

“So, now you know,” Brian replied. He lifted his shoulders and then shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“You don’t have to keep all this to yourself, Bri. I just...I want to help you.”

Brian moved to the couch and sank down onto it, hands hanging loosely between his knees. He sighed heavily. 

“You can tell me anything,” Dom added quietly. “I...I want to understand. I want to know.”

Brian didn’t say anything. He just stared down at the floor and drew in deep breaths. Saying it out loud, meant facing it. It was bad enough having it in his head - picturing it, remembering it. But saying it out loud - telling Dom - it scared him. What if Dom couldn’t get over it? What if it made him realise just how stupid Brian had been? What if Dom couldn’t bear to be near him anymore because Brian had brought this on himself? 

“Bri...please. Please talk to me.”

Releasing a long breath, Brian finally looked up at Dom. There was so much care and concern and love on his face as he stared back at Brian. Dom wasn’t giving up on him: Dom would stick by him. He had to believe that. He had to have faith in Dom. He had to remember everything they’d already been through to be together - all of that surely outweighed what Rowe had done and Brian’s foolishness. 

Still, he couldn’t meet Dom’s eyes when he spoke. He looked down at his clasped hands as they twisted around one another nervously.

“He drugged me,” he started, his voice a little hoarse with anxiety. “At the bar...I’d gone for a beer and some space, and he found me. He bought me a drink and he slipped something into it when I wasn’t paying attention. When I woke up, I was at his place and I didn’t know what had happened.” He blew out a long shaky breath. “He...he said he’d helped me out and...I was confused...I couldn’t remember anything. He tricked me and...I was so stupid...” He trailed off as he grabbed the side of his head with his hands. Not so long ago, he’d have buried his fingers in his hair, but now it was so short, he couldn’t do that. And he was glad. “He gave me a glass of water and I didn’t even think. I...I just...he’d put something in it again and it knocked me out. When I woke up, I was tied to the bed.”

His hands fell away from his head and he started rubbing at his wrists. The scabs had dried up on his right wrist and he was in danger of ripping them off, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. He could feel the cuffs on his skin again. He’d do anything to get free. 

“Brian,” Dom’s soft but commanding voice broke into his thoughts. “Stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Brian seemed to shake himself from his spiralling thoughts and blinked up at him. His hands rested on his knees. 

Dom had moved to sit on the edge of the coffee table, in front of Brian. Brian hadn’t even noticed him moving closer. He looked down again, focusing on the angry marks around his wrists. 

“You must think I’m so stupid,” he whispered. 

He heard Dom draw in a breath. “Of course I don’t. This wasn’t your fault.”

Brian huffed out a dry laugh. “I trusted him. I thought he was my friend.”

“Exactly,” Dom argued. “He made you feel like you could trust him. He pretended to be someone else - you couldn’t have known.”

“But I should have,” Brian muttered. 

Slowly, Dom reached out and carefully took Brian’s hands in his. He rubbed his thumbs over his knuckles. 

“It’s not your fault,” he said firmly.

He’d said it so many times since Brian had come home and Brian wondered when he’d get sick of repeating it. Eventually, when everything had gone back to normal and Dom was tired of pussy-footing around, Dom would remind Brian of how badly he’d fucked up. And he’d be right. 

“I’m tired,” he said quietly. “I can’t...I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Dom squeezed his fingers gently. “It’s okay. Thank you for telling me about it. You know I’m here for you - whenever you’re ready.”

Brian nodded and Dom released his hands. He pushed himself up from the coffee table and then leant forward and placed a kiss to the top of Brian’s head. 

Brian looked up at him in surprise, but not fear. 

“I like your hair. It suits you,” Dom told him. 

A tiny smile tugged at Brian’s lips and he couldn’t help but feel a rush of love for Dom. 

Dom smiled back and then he wandered out of the room. 

***

Brian was feeling particularly antsy. He couldn’t sit still and he restlessly moved around the bedroom as he waited for Dom. 

He wondered if Dom had noticed anything while they’d eaten their dinner and cleared up their dishes and then watched a bit of TV before Brian had announced that he was heading up to bed, knowing that Dom would follow. Had Dom picked up on the vibe that Brian was giving off? Or had he just put it down to Brian generally being out of character lately since what had happened? 

Brian wanted everything to go back to normal. He didn’t want Dom to keep looking at him like he was broken. He didn’t want Dom to keep treating him like he was some weak victim. He wanted Dom to want him. He wanted everything to be normal again. And he’d decided that getting their physical relationship back on track was the way to prove how ‘okay’ he really was. 

It wasn’t like they couldn’t keep their hands off one another these days. They were beyond the ‘tearing one another’s clothes off at every opportunity and not leaving their bedroom for days’ stage. They’d been there, done that, and it had been amazing, but relationships moved on from that and theirs had too. They still had plenty of passion, still had their moments where they couldn’t resist one another and got it on at the most unexpected times (much to their friend’s dismay), still had plenty of sex and enjoyed settling down in their bed together after a long day. And even if they didn’t fuck, they still touched and held one another and kissed. And Brian missed that. But he also wanted to show Dom that he ready to do all that again. He was fine. He just wanted to get back to normal. 

As predicted, Dom had followed Brian upstairs and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower, while Brian had gone to their room. He’d sat down on the bed, then got up and paced around a bit. Then he’d sat down again, feeling fidgety and restless, and then he’d stood up again and wandered to the window to stare out at the night. It was silly: he felt nervous, like it was their first time or something. But then he hadn’t even felt like that the first time they’d slept together - he hadn’t had chance to feel nervous then. 

He was overthinking which wasn’t really his style and, he kept telling himself, it was ridiculous. Everything would be fine and they’d go back to how they’d been before and forget what had happened. 

He been trying so hard not to think about Rowe. When he was alone, and his thoughts wandered into dark territory, he forced himself to stop, made himself move, found a way to distract himself. Most of the time it worked, but sometimes his mind seemed determined to drag him back to that room, to that bed where he was handcuffed and bound. Sometimes he couldn’t stop picturing Rowe on top of him, or Rowe touching him, or Rowe kissing him. He could feel his hands on him. And it was stupid because it hadn’t even been anything more than that. It wasn’t like Rowe had actually forced him to do anything and Rowe had been telling the truth when he’d said he hadn’t assaulted him when he’d been out of his mind on Rohypnol. But it still made his skin crawl and he still rushed off to the shower when he snapped out of his horrific memories. 

And then there were the nightmares that seemed so vivid. He was back there again and there was no escape. Rowe loomed over him and Brian yelled out and tried to fight back but he never won, he never escaped, not until he woke up with a start to find Dom watching him with worry all over his face and his hand hovering like he didn’t know whether or not to even touch Brian. 

And Brian was sick of it. He just wanted everything to go back to normal. 

He shook his head slightly as he stared out of the bedroom window. With a shudder, he realised that he’d started drifting back to that place again and he needed to hold it together. Turning away from the window, he jumped when he found Dom standing on the other side of the bedroom, watching him. 

“You okay?” Dom asked quietly. 

‘Always quietly these days,’ Brian thought to himself as he looked back at Dom and tried to calm himself down.

Dom was fresh from the shower but, instead of strolling around the bedroom in just his towel or completely naked like he always had before, these days he always emerged from the bathroom with his boxers on and a tank top, like a barrier to any suggestion of anything physical going on between them. Like Brian needed to be reassured that Dom wasn’t suggesting anything by strutting around without clothes on.

“Yeah, fine,” Brian answered, trying his best to sound normal. “Just...waiting for you.”

Dom looked a little surprised but didn’t comment so Brian pushed away from the windowsill and closed the distance between them until he was right in front of Dom, close enough to touch. 

Obvious confusion flickered across Dom’s face as his eyes scanned Brian’s face looking for some clue about what was going on with him.

“I just thought...well, it’s been a while since we...uh...you know, had some fun, so I thought you might be up for it,” Brian said, hoping he sounded normal. He offered Dom a smile at the end of his words. 

It all felt a bit awkward, Brian had never needed to do this before, so he just decided to go for it and forget talking. That would be more normal. Reaching out, he wrapped a hand around the back of Dom’s head and laid one on his hip and leant forward to kiss him, only to have Dom’s hands land on his chest and press him back carefully, but firmly. 

“Brian...what are you doing?” Dom asked.

Letting out a dry laugh, Brian just frowned at him. “Isn’t it obvious?” 

It was Dom’s turn to frown. “I don’t think...I’m not sure you’re ready for this.”

“What?”

“I think...I don’t want you to rush into this because you feel like you have to. You’ve been through a lot and you need some time,” Dom continued.

Brian pulled back, stepping away from where Dom’s hands had still been resting on his chest. 

“What are you talking about?” he asked as he shook his head. 

“This,” Dom said as he gestured between them. “Us...being together. We don’t have to rush it. I can wait...as long as you need.”

“I don’t need to wait. I’m fine,” Brian replied bluntly. 

Dom shook his head. “You’re really not. You don’t have to pretend that everything’s okay. You’ve been through something traumatic and you need some time to get over that.”

“Stop saying that!” Brian snapped. “Stop telling me I need time.”

“I’m trying to help you. I’m not going to take advantage of you while you’re dealing with this,” Dom said. 

“ _Stop_!” Brian repeated. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I’m not ‘ _dealing_ ’ with anything.”

“ _Exactly_!” Dom said, his voice louder than before and a hint of desperation seeping into it. “You aren’t dealing with it, at all. You keep saying you’re fine. You want everything to be normal but you haven’t even started to properly process what’s happened. You’ve hardly told me anything about what you went through and I can’t bear the thought that I’ll do something wrong and hurt you even more.”

Brian just blinked at him in shock. He could feel his hands shaking and wondered what was wrong with him. Dom was full of bullshit: he was saying all this because he didn’t want Brian anymore. He’d realised what a fucking disaster he was - what a mess he’d made of everything - and he’d had enough. He’d probably added this to all the other ways Brian had let him down and was just waiting for the chance to throw it all back in his face. He’d warned Brian and Brian hadn’t listened and now look where they’d ended up. 

Dom could hardly bring himself to touch Brian, let alone be touched _by_ him. He’d pushed him away. Brian had touched him and Dom had pushed him away. He didn’t want him. He thought he was damaged or dirty or something. He blew out a breath, thinking he might be sick. 

Everything was so loud in Brian’s head: Dom’s words and Rowe’s declarations of love and Dom telling him he’d betrayed him over and over. Rowe’s touch had left a stain on him that Brian couldn’t remove no matter how many times he scrubbed at his skin in the shower and Dom could obviously see it, couldn’t see _past_ it. 

“You don’t want me?” he breathed out, afraid to hear it confirmed, but knowing it was true anyway. 

Dom sighed heavily and shook his head. He looked like he was in pain. 

“Brian, it’s not about that,” he replied. 

Brian felt like he was going to fall apart. Or maybe he was going to shake so much his body was going to shatter into a million pieces right there in front of Dom. 

He couldn’t let Dom see how broken he was. They’d never be okay again. He wasn’t falling apart. He was fine. Dom needed to see that. He needed to show him he was fine. 

“He didn’t fuck me, you know?” Brian spat angrily. He wasn’t entirely sure where the outburst had come from but it was out there now. Dom had said he didn’t know what had happened so Brian had told him. “If that’s what you’re worried about. You don’t want to touch me because he did. Well, he didn’t do that, so you don’t need to worry.”

Dom looked like the air had been knocked out of him as his eyes widened. He looked like he might be the one to collapse in a heap and Brian couldn’t stand it. He’d ruined everything. And if Dom didn’t want him, he had to get away. He had to run before Dom told him to go. He didn’t think he’d survive that. 

“D’you know what?” he asked nastily. “I don’t need this. Fuck this.” 

He slammed the door back into the wall and stormed out of their bedroom, stomping down the stairs ignoring Dom calling after him. He sounded so distant and Brian briefly wondered if this was really happening. He felt like he was looking down on himself from far away. 

It took mere seconds before he reached the front door and yanked it open and then he completely froze. 

The memory of doing exactly this - arguing with Dom, walking out of the front door in a fit of temper - slammed into him and he remembered what came next: Rowe, being tricked and trapped, and held against his will by a man he’d trusted. 

Suddenly, he could feel himself shaking again as he stared out at the street. He couldn’t take another step forward. 

“Bri?” 

He heard his name called again and he knew Dom was standing behind him. ‘He must think I’m a complete basket-case,’ Brian thought hopelessly. 

“Brian...”

Dom walked around him and stood in front of him, but not blocking the doorway. Brian could feel his eyes on him, watching him closely, but he couldn’t look up at him. 

“If you want to go, you know I wouldn’t ever stop you. I wouldn’t force you to stay. But...I don’t want you to walk out like this. I don’t want you to go. I want to help you. I _love_ you.”

Brian blinked and then tore his eyes away from the open door. He looked to Dom, at his concerned, caring expression, and then just felt like everything was collapsing around him. 

He let out a gasp and then felt like his legs had given out as he sank down to the floor. As soon as he hit the ground, a broken sob bubbled up out of his throat and he felt his eyes sting as hot tears dribbled down his face. 

He was broken. He was a mess. He’d been so stupid. And Dom couldn’t possibly want him anymore. 

But then he felt someone beside him and a shadow over him and when he looked up, Dom was kneeling on the floor next to him. He looked upset. 

“Can I...can I hold you?” he asked quietly and Brian wasn’t even annoyed that he was using that gentle voice again. 

He nodded. “Yes...please,” he managed to reply around the lump in his throat. 

And Dom did. His strong arms wrapped around Brian and he pulled him close as they both sat slumped on the floor. 

Dom held him and ran his hand up and down his back and kissed the side of his head. 

“I love you,” he repeated. “I love you, Brian. Nothing and no-one will change that.”

Brian pressed his face against Dom’s neck and brought his arms up to wrap around his back. His fingers curled in the material of his undershirt and he breathed him in. 

He wasn’t fine. Things were far from normal. But maybe they’d be okay if Dom held onto him like that forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not the end...although maybe just one more chapter to go. Not 100% decided yet.
> 
> Also, just wanted to make it really clear that this chapter is all Brian’s perception of what happened and how he feels about it. He’s blaming himself, thinking he did everything wrong, thinking he just needs to go back to normal etc, and that’s the way he’s processing it (or not processing it at all really). But that’s obviously not my view - we all know it wasn’t his fault, but he’s struggling.


	12. 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we’ve reached the end of the fic. Thank you to anyone who’s left kudos or comments on this fic - it’s really encouraged me to keep going. My first ever Brian/Dom fic and it’s turned out to be the longest fic I’ve ever written! It’s been fun and I hope you enjoy the ending. Let me know!

Dom wasn’t sure how long they sat on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. It didn’t matter: he’d have sat there all night if Brian had needed him to. 

Brian’s complete breakdown shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Dom. It didn’t really, but it was just the sudden and complete collapse of Brian’s facade that had shocked him. It was almost like he’d been waiting for it to happen, knowing that Brian wasn’t okay and wasn’t coping all along. Brian had been doing a good job of pretending: he’d been trying so hard to keep smiling at the right moments and keep telling everyone he was ‘fine’, but Dom knew him too well, knew it was all an act. He’d seen through it all. He’d seen Brian’s lost expression when he didn’t think anyone was looking; he’d watched as Brian seemed trapped in his own head as everything went on around him; he’d noticed Brian’s hesitation to take an open drink from anyone else but him; he’d woken up when Brian had been having nightmares, and he’d followed him to keep an eye on him when he’d jumped out of bed in the middle of the night, sweating or shivering, and needing to escape whatever horrors were plaguing his dreams.

Maybe Brian didn’t realise that Dom had seen it all. Maybe he didn’t realise that Dom was watching him so closely. Maybe he didn’t understand how hard it was for Dom to see him struggling and trying so hard to hold it together without knowing how to help him. 

And he’d known that Brian wouldn’t be able to keep up the act for long. It must have been exhausting for him to keep holding it together. A weaker person would have cracked after a day or two, but Brian had kept painting that face on and kept reassuring them that he was alright day after day. Eventually, he was going to have to face what had happened - Dom knew that - but Brian had been so determined to just move on like nothing was wrong. It was never going to last. 

Dom had been waiting for it, but it was still awful. While he knew it needed to happen so that Brian could start to actually deal with what had happened, it also broke his heart to witness. 

There was no pretending anymore. Brian had broken down and Dom was doing everything he could to try to hold him together. He didn’t know if it was the right thing. He didn’t know whether he was helping. But he didn’t know what else he could do. 

Brian had clung to him as he’d cried and Dom has just held him in return. He’d felt his own eyes burn as tears threatened to fall, but he’d blinked them back. He had to stay strong. 

As Brian had collapsed onto the floor, he’d been muttering to himself and Dom was sure he hadn’t even realised he was speaking out loud.

“I’m broken. I’m so stupid,” he’d been saying to himself and Dom almost couldn’t stand it. 

Brian wasn’t any of those things, but his mind was obviously telling him differently right now. And Dom would do whatever it took to make him realise that he was far from broken and he wasn’t stupid and that none of this was his fault. 

It took everything Dom had to hold his own emotions in check, to keep himself from breaking down and giving in to his own fear: fear about what had happened to Brian; the lingering fear that he’d felt in those days while Brian was missing; and fear that he’d still lose Brian despite having him back at home. What if he couldn’t help him? What if he wasn’t enough? What if Brian couldn’t get over what had happened and never forgave Dom for not searching for him sooner? 

Dom just held onto Brian, telling him he loved him, wanting to reassure him that nothing would change that. 

He’d let him down enough times recently; he silently promised to never do it again.

Eventually, Brian seemed to calm. His shudders gradually faded and his quiet sobs dried up. He pulled away from Dom slightly, but he didn’t let go completely. Neither did Dom - he couldn’t bear to stop holding Brian. What if he let go and Brian fell apart beyond repair? What if he disappeared for good?

“Can we go back upstairs?” Brian asked quietly as he stared down at his knees. He hadn’t looked Dom in the eye since he’d broken down and it felt so wrong. 

“Brian...” Dom said equally quietly. He waited; he’d never been that good at it before, but he knew he could be patient.

Taking a deep breath, Brian slowly lifted his head and looked at him. Dom didn’t know what Brian was expecting to see, but he looked so unsure of himself as he finally made eye contact, like maybe he expected Dom to push him away, turn his back on him, let him down again. 

Dom offered him a tight smile. “I want to help you. No matter what you might think, you don’t have to do this alone.”

Brian swallowed thickly. “Okay. I...I know. Can we...can we talk...upstairs? I’m cold,” he added, and it was only then that Dom realised that he was starting to feel a chill too. Sitting on the floor in just his underwear and a vest for god only knew how long was hardly a good plan. And Brian’s emotional outpouring had clearly left him drained and exhausted and he was shivering again but maybe now it was actually because he was cold instead of having a breakdown. 

Silently, they made their way back up the stairs and they settled into bed, sitting side by side with the covers pulled up over their legs. Neither of them spoke for a long time. 

“He didn’t...he didn’t _do_ anything to me,” Brian eventually breathed out. His voice was low, like he was afraid to say the words too loudly. Dom turned his head to watch him as he spoke. “At least, he said he didn’t and I don’t think he did. When he drugged me, I was completely out of it. I...I was worried that he’d...” he trailed off and waved his hand through the air as though it would explain the words he found so hard to say. “You know,” he added with a shrug. “But I asked him and he said he hadn’t. And I didn’t feel like he’d done anything to me.”

Staring at the opposite wall, Brian fell quiet again for a while, but Dom didn’t know what to say or do for the best so he just stayed silent, waiting for Brian to lead the way. So much of his control had been taken away by Rowe: Dom knew this had to be on his terms. 

“He wanted to though,” Brian continued after a while. “He wanted to have sex. And...and that was how I got free. I’d tried everything else and I couldn’t get away. I had to...I had to play along. Like I wanted it too. I told him we couldn’t do it if I was tied up and he let me go. I had to make him think it was what I wanted.”

Dom drew in a deep breath. Since he’d found Brian, he’d been imagining the terrible scenarios that might have unfolded while he’d been held prisoner by a man who was completely besotted with him. In the deepest, darkest parts of his mind, he’d dreaded the prospect that Brian had been raped, and having it confirmed that he hadn’t was no small relief. But he could see how badly shaken the whole experience had left Brian. Brian was confident and he was in control (most of the time) and he’d never shied away from what he wanted, in the bedroom or out of it. He could only imagine how Brian’s self-belief would be affected by having his control over such a situation taken away: knowing his only chance of escape was playing along with the twisted delusions of a man who’d already completely abused his trust and then wanted to be with him intimately. And knowing that it had been his only chance to overpower his attacker, knowing that if he’d not succeeded in his plan, things could have turned out horribly differently - it didn’t bear thinking about. 

“I woke up one time and he...he was on top of me. He was sitting on my thighs and he...was touching my stomach and my chest and I knew what he was going to do. I had to stop him so I played along. Told him I wanted it to be special like he did. _Fuck_ ,” Brian breathed out and ran a shaking hand over his now-short hair. “He kissed me. I couldn’t do anything without giving myself away and I just...I just had to lie there.” Both hands came up as he buried his face in them and blew out a couple of deep breaths. 

“You must think I’m so fucking pathetic. So weak,” he muttered into his hands. 

While Brian had been speaking, Dom hadn’t known what to say, but he couldn’t let Brian continue talking about himself like that. 

“Hey,” he said firmly. “You’ve gotta stop saying things like that. I don’t think you’re weak or pathetic or stupid or any of that shit.”

“It’s my fault,” Brian said quietly. His hands had fallen from his face, but he was still looking down as his blanket-covered knees that were drawn up in front of him. 

“How can you think that?” Dom asked. 

Brian turned to face him suddenly. “Because it’s my fault!” he snapped. His eyes were wide and he looked desperate. “I was an idiot. You tried to tell me. You could see that something wasn’t right. I should’ve listened, but I was too caught up in it all.” He seemed to lose steam suddenly. “I just...it’s so stupid...I just wanted him to like me. I wanted a partner who actually wanted to be my partner. Maybe this is just the proof I needed that I’m not meant to be a cop. I keep fucking everything up.”

Dom was stunned that Brian was saying such things. He’d never even considered that Brian had doubts about his career and knowing that Rowe’s actions had amplified those doubts just made him all the more furious. 

As much as it might make their lives easier if Brian gave up his job, Dom would never suggest it or encourage Brian to make that choice.

“You’re a good cop, Brian,” he said carefully. 

Brian huffed out a bitter laugh. “Just not a good judge of character.”

Dom shook his head. “He’s one person - one completely fucked up person, who you had no way of knowing was crazy.”

“You tried to warn me,” Brian argued. He seemed determined to blame himself. 

Dom drew in a deep breath. He needed to be completely honest. “I was...I was jealous. I just thought he had a thing for you. I didn’t know he was capable of what he did and I didn’t know he’d go that far. No-one could have predicted that. Not even you. He was crazy, Bri. You couldn’t have known. No-one knew until it was too late.”

Brian shook his head slowly. “I’m supposed to know. I’m supposed to notice things about people, things that seem off, and I just...I was completely blind.”

“Brian...” Dom tried to interrupt, but Brian ploughed on.

“No. He was obsessed with me and I didn’t even see it. It was right in front of me all along. Everything he did...it all makes sense now.”

Dom didn’t know how to make things better, but he couldn’t let Brian continue blaming himself. 

“What would you say if it was Mia or Letty that had ended up in that situation?” he asked. 

Brian’s eyes flicked to him briefly.

“That’s different,” he muttered. 

“Why? ‘cause they’re girls? Don’t let them hear you say that,” Dom told him. “Alright then, what if it was Leon or Vince? What if it was _me_?”

That seemed to jolt Brian somehow and his eyes widened a little before he shook his head again. 

“It wouldn’t have happened to you,” he said simply, like there was no discussion to be had. “And even if it had, you’d have got out of there a lot quicker than I did.”

“Bullshit,” Dom replied bluntly and he saw Brian’s face twitch a little in response. He shuffled a little on the bed so he was facing Brian. “You’re one of the most resourceful people I know. You’ve never given up on anything and I’ve seen you wriggle your way out of trouble more times than any cop should’ve had to. If you couldn’t find any other way to get out of there, then I wouldn’t have been able to either.”

Brian narrowed his eyes at him and Dom was pleased to be getting a reaction that wasn’t self-doubt and despair from him. 

“And you never answered my question. What would you say if one of us - any one of us - ended up in the same situation?”

Brian blew out an almost frustrated breath as though he knew exactly what Dom was trying to do. Of course he did - he wasn’t stupid.

“Whoever it was...I’d say that it wasn’t their fault. That they couldn’t have known what he was doing and what he was planning. That they couldn’t have known that he was a stalker, that he was dangerous. That nothing they did or didn’t do encouraged him.” He paused and drew in a shuddering breath. “And I know all of that, but I should have seen it. I missed every warning, every alarm bell that should have tipped me off. I trusted him. I liked him...I thought he was my friend.”

“Exactly,” Dom said immediately. “You thought he was your friend. You trusted him. He was sick in the head and, for whatever reason, he thought you liked him in the same way. But you just said it yourself, nothing you did or didn’t do made him behave like that. Being kind to someone doesn’t give them the right to hurt you. He betrayed you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You need to stop blaming yourself.”

Brian swallowed thickly and stared at Dom with uncertainty in his eyes. It would take a lot more than this conversation to make Brian believe him, but Dom would remind him every day if he needed to. For as long as it took. 

“Do you...do you still...want me?” Brian managed to ask. His voice was rough and it seemed like he’d practically forced the words out. He was refusing to look at Dom again. 

“What are you talking about? Of course I do,” Dom replied immediately. “But there’s no rush.”

“It’s just...you’ve hardly touched me - not properly, not since I got back.”

Dom sighed heavily. “Bri, you’ve been through hell. What kind of person would that make me if all I could think about was my dick?”

That brought a tiny smile to Brian’s lips and he finally looked back up. When his eyes met Dom’s though, the smile fell and he looked unsure again. 

“He was the last person who kissed me,” he said quietly. A tiny shudder passed through him as he spoke. 

It almost felt like the same feeling had washed over Dom. He shifted on the bed and took Brian’s hand in one of his own. Then he leaned forward and slowly reached out with his other hand. Gently, he cupped the side of Brian’s face and smiled softly when Brian leant into the touch. 

“I love you,” Dom told him quietly. “Nothing will ever change that. I want you - always, all the time. But that can wait. I’ll be here - whenever you’re ready.”

Brian just blinked at him and Dom leant forward, closing the space between them until he pressed his lips against Brian’s. He felt hyperaware of every tiny movement that Brian made, just in case it was too much for him or he showed any sign of not wanting Dom in his space, but Brian’s eyes merely fell closed and seemed to relax into the moment almost immediately. His own hand reached up and seemed to find its way to the side of Dom’s neck, his fingers curling gently as his thumb rubbed along his jaw. 

When Dom pulled away slightly, Brian opened his eyes and gave him a soft smile. 

“Better now?” Dom asked.

Brian nodded. “Definitely.”

***

Things didn’t just miraculously go back to normal, but Brian actually felt better after breaking down in front of Dom. He’d surprised himself: showing any form of weakness wasn’t something he did easily, but somehow, letting Dom in, sharing some of his fears and self-doubt and disgust, had helped. 

The first few days he’d been home, he’d tried so hard to hold it all together. He’d desperately wanted things to be normal. But he’d realised that he couldn’t just pretend that everything was okay and that Rowe hadn’t done what he’d done. 

It had shaken Brian’s view of himself and the people around him. He’d never questioned helping people out. He’d never thought twice about being a nice guy. But suddenly he was wondering about so many things: who he was; the decisions he’d made; what he had or hadn’t done that had caused the situation he’d found himself in. 

Dom seemed determined to make him accept that it wasn’t his fault, and his words were slowly taking root in Brian’s mind. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t his fault, but sometimes, when his mind drifted to dark places, it seemed the only answer was to lay the blame at his own door. 

Brian hadn’t even thought about work for the first few days, but he knew he’d have to go back eventually. 

His first shift back had been weird and difficult and had left Brian anxious in a way he’d never been about work before. Even after he’d returned after everything that had gone down with his undercover job, he’d not felt so on edge. 

He felt like everyone was watching him. Despite none of them asking, his colleagues were clearly all wondering where he’d disappeared to. He heard muttering about Rowe and how it was weird that he’d vanished too. And Brian had been ready to jump out of a window by the end of his shift. 

Dom had tried to support him. He’d clearly been able to pick up on Brian’s mood as soon as he’d walked through the door and had known how much he was dreading going in the first place. But, despite his best efforts, Brian hadn’t felt any better. The next few shifts just confirmed what Brian feared: he didn’t think he could be a cop anymore. He didn’t trust his own instincts anymore. He didn’t think he could work alongside a new partner, even if anyone had wanted to work with him. He didn’t know how he could tell who were the good guys and who were the bad ones anymore. 

When he shared his doubts with Dom, because he’d got better at talking about what was in his head instead of letting it take over, he was surprised by Dom trying to convince him that it was early days and he shouldn’t give up, that he was a good cop and he should trust his gut. But Brian knew, deep down, that he was done. 

He went down to the precinct on his day off and sought out Tanner in his office. The sergeant gave him an odd look as he knocked on the door frame to announce his presence: a look like he had been waiting for Brian to come to talk to him about whatever was going on. 

“Sit down, Brian,” Tanner said as he gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. “I don’t think you’re here on your day off just because you love the place that much.”

Sinking into the chair and sighing heavily, Brian held the steady gaze of his mentor. Then he started talking.

***

Despite knowing what he needed to do, Brian had been dreading talking to Tanner. He’d known Tanner would try to talk him out of his decision, but he’d been prepared to stick to his guns. He’d also known he had to tell Tanner everything.

Unflappable as always, Tanner hadn’t reacted with outrage or dismay. His eyebrows had risen as Brian had haltingly managed to tell him about Rowe and a flicker of protective anger had flashed across his face as he’d listened to the story. 

Then he’d asked a question that Brian genuinely couldn’t answer:

“And where is Rowe now? He hasn’t been on shift in over a week and no-one has heard anything from him.”

Brian hadn’t known what to say. He didn’t know where Rowe was. He could guess. Or at least imagine what Dom had done. But what was he supposed to say? 

“I take it from your silence, you don’t want to tell me,” Tanner had said.

“I don’t know where he is,” Brian had replied. “I haven’t seen him since that day at his house.”

“But I’m sure Toretto has,” Tanner had stated simply.

Again, Brian hadn’t answered. 

Tanner had sat back in his chair and looked thoughtful. “Wherever he is, whatever has happened to him, I don’t blame Toretto. I know he takes care of his own.” He’d removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. “I’ll help you. Whatever needs to happen to make sure there are no more questions, I’ll help. But only if you get some professional help.”

Brian’s face had obviously showed his utter shock and confusion.

“You’ve walked in here and told me you don’t want to be a cop anymore. You’re a good cop, Brian. You’ve got the potential to go far, but you’re giving it up because of something traumatic that’s happened to you. I’ve seen cops go through things and never get over it, never be the same again. But I don’t want you to waste your chance. You need to speak to someone and deal with this properly.”

Brian had been surprised by the suggestion, but maybe more shocked at himself when he’d actually decided to seriously consider it. He wasn’t good at opening up and sharing his feelings, but Tanner knew what he was talking about. Maybe he was right about this. 

He’d sent Brian off with a promise that he’d deal with the questions about Rowe, a number for someone outside the department that he could talk to, and a mention of some new project coming up in the community that needed a police liaison that might be just the perfect fit for Brian. And Brian had walked out of the precinct feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Or maybe months. Everything with Rowe had been horrendous, but maybe he’d just been the catalyst for Brian actually taking a step back from the LAPD. Even if it wasn’t permanently. 

***

That night, they’d headed up to bed and Brian had kissed Dom, trying to pour everything he suddenly felt better about into the kiss. He’d pushed him onto his back before leaning over him and then throwing his leg over Dom and straddling his thighs. 

Dom’s hands had come to rest on his hips and, as Brian had continued to press their lips together, he’d felt Dom hardening against his ass. He’d groaned low in his throat as he’d felt Dom trying to resist the urge to push up against him. Dom had been so patient since everything that had happened: everything had been at Brian’s pace. But he’d been ready. 

Brian had pulled away, hovering above Dom and sharing panted breaths between them. 

“You sure?” Dom had gasped into the space between them, as Brian had ground down against him. 

“Definitely,” Brian had replied a little breathlessly. “I want you.”

Thankfully, Dom hadn’t needed any further encouragement. He’d surged up and wrapped a hand around the back of Brian’s head to pull him back down for another searing kiss. 

Brian had sighed into it, more than ready to start moving on. 

Afterwards, when they were lying pressed together, side-by-side, Brian wondered if Dom had missed their physical closeness as much as he had. It had been right not to rush into it again and Dom had been right to put the brakes on when Brian had tried to initiate something when he was still a complete mess. But he’d missed it. They were the sort of people who needed that physical connection, those touches or that pleasant ache as a reminder of what they’d been up to. 

“Alright?” Dom asked, his voice rough and low, sending a pleasant rumble through Brian where he was leaning against Dom’s chest. 

“More than,” Brian replied. 

Dom’s hand rubbed across his shoulders and they fell into silence for a while. 

Instead of losing himself in a post-orgasm daze and drifting off to sleep, Brian’s mind was doing its thing where it seemed to be whirring through thoughts at a hundred thoughts a minute. 

It wasn’t because he was uncomfortable or feeling strange about having sex with Dom again - far from it. That was one thing that felt exactly as it should: a piece of his life that had fallen back into place just as it should. 

But there was something nagging at him that he couldn’t let go. It was probably a terrible moment to bring it up, but he thought Dom would understand. 

“Where is he?” Brian finally asked. It was a question that had been twisting and writhing around inside his head for days, and had been brought to the forefront by his conversation with Tanner. He’d been too afraid to ask. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear, what was for the best. 

Dom had tensed beside him. It was obvious that Brian didn’t need to specify who he meant with his question and he was glad - he didn’t want to say his name while they were in bed together. 

Swallowing thickly, Dom shifted so that he could look him in the eye. He held Brian’s eye contact for a long moment. 

“He’s somewhere he can’t ever hurt you, or anyone else, ever again,” he replied simply. 

Brian blinked up at him. It was almost a surprise, but that was enough for him: he didn’t need to know the details. He didn’t want to. He trusted Dom and he knew he would have done what he thought was right. He was just glad it was over - he knew he didn’t have to worry about looking over his shoulder, or wondering who was watching him from the shadows. He could breathe a little easier again. 

Dom leant down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Then he rested his forehead against Brian’s for a long moment. He sighed deeply, like he’d felt a sense of relief too. But Brian knew him too well: he knew there was something still bothering him. He could feel it in the tension in Dom’s body and the way he lingered over the tender way he touched him. 

Eventually, Dom pushed up on his elbows and looked down at him. 

Brian blinked at him, waiting. 

“That fight we had before you left that night...” Dom started quietly. 

“Don’t, Dom,” Brian said as he turned his head away. He still felt so stupid, so ashamed, about what had happened, even after everyone had reassured him that it wasn’t his fault. It seemed, that with his question, he’d opened the door for them to talk about their still buried fears and doubts, but he didn’t know if he wanted to talk about it again. It exhausted him every time. 

“No, this is important, Bri,” Dom replied as he reached out and took Brian’s chin gently in his hand and slowly turned his head back to face him. 

Brian didn’t resist him and, when he looked up at his face, he could see how earnest he looked, how much this really mattered to him. 

“I said...I said this was my house and I know that I hurt you with that,” Dom continued. “But the thing is, this place...it’s just a house. Sure it has a lot of memories and it’s my family home, but I realised something when you’d gone. It’s just a building...for those days without you here, it wasn’t a home anymore. I can’t believe it took me so long to realise that and so long to come looking for you. I’ll never make that mistake again. Where you are is where I want to be. I don’t care whose name’s on a piece of paper or where I live, as long as you’re there with me.” He swallowed thickly before he could say any more. “I don’t ever want to feel like I did when I thought you weren’t coming back - when I thought I’d lost you. You’re my home, Brian. You’re everything to me.”

Brian’s eyes burnt suddenly as he felt tears build at Dom’s words. Dom smiled down at him and pressed a kiss to his lips and then his forehead again. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Not if you’re not coming with me,” Brian replied. 

“When did we get so soft, hmm?” Dom said with a throaty chuckle as he ducked his head and nosed behind Brian’s ear. He was clearly trying to hide his own choked up emotion. 

Brian let out a soft laugh, a bright smile tugging at his lips. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, he felt like he had something to really smile about. They’d come through a lot, and they’d come through this too. Together. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback would be amazing. Thank you!
> 
> I'm snarfettelove on Tumblr if you want to find me on there.


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